It Was Only a Kiss!
by DuckButtFangirl
Summary: Itachi must have been crazy, thinking he could curse Sasuke. No one falls in love with only one kiss! Unfortunately the curse is all too real as Sasuke discovers after and unfortunate incident with a certain annoying blond. Sasu/Naru YAOI WARNING LANGUAGE Possessive Perverted Sasuke in later chapters
1. Curses and Kisses

_**I don't own Naruto, kay? ^-^**_

_"Flashback"_

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

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><p>It Was Only a Kiss!<p>

Chapter One

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><p>How he hated that man. That stupid bastard that ruined his life. That moment played through his head constantly, every waking hour. And sleep brought no relief either, for his dreams only replayed that horrible instant, forcing him to relive the sight of that man, drenched in blood and rain, as he cursed him with a plague worse than death.<p>

"_Sasuke, my foolish little brother. From this day on you are cursed. Guard your first kiss, for the person that steals your first kiss will be the one who captures your body, mind, and heart, and you'll never be able to escape."_

Sasuke inwardly shivered at the memory. What nonsense. How could a kiss possibly have that much power over him? Sasuke had concluded that his brother was simply _crazy_. And he'd get revenge against that crazy, evil man Itachi, for murdering his family…

And for making him paranoid as fuck!

At first, the deaths of his family had greatly outweighed the supposed "curse" Itachi had put on his younger brother, and Sasuke had dedicated all of his time on becoming better, smarter, and stronger. But his brother's last words to him always echoed in the back of his mind.

It wasn't until the fangirls started showing up that he began to take the curse seriously.

Those girls were loud, annoying, and shallow, and he wanted nothing to do with them! But the damn crazy girls wereall _determined_ to be the first to kiss him, waiting behind trash cans, dropping from the ceiling on top of him, hell, one crazy chick even waited naked in his shower and practically tried to rape him. There was _no way_ he would ever allow himself to fall in love with one of those stupid bitches.

And while he told himself that there was no way that the curse was real, he couldn't help but be cautious. What if it turned out that there was actually truth in what Itachi had done to him? What if some sex hungry, squeaky voiced girl stole his first kiss, and doomed him to be a lovesick puppy for the rest of his life?

No…it was better to be cautious. Although it surely didn't help his mental state at all to be constantly stalked and harassed by the female populous. He'd even adopted the odd habit of sitting with his hands folded firmly in front of his mouth, ensuring that someone would have to first kill him and pry his cold, lifeless hands from his mouth in order to reach his lips.

That was currently the state he was sitting in as he waited for class to begin at the

ninja academy. Today was the day that he would be assigned to a team of two others, another boy, and a girl. He was hardly concerned who the other male member of his group would be, but he would be lying to say he wasn't a bit anxious to find out who the female participant of his group would be. He silently prayed to be someone like that Hyuuga girl, who was one of the few people not in the "Sasuke Fanclub."

Said fanclub was currently squealing and yelling at Naruto, who had taken the seat next to Sasuke. He inwardly sighed as he tried to tune out the blend's arguments with the crazed girls. Honestly, he was as bad as the fangirls.

He was so zoned out, that it took him a moment to notice when Naruto climbed on the desk, glaring at him, only a few inches from his face. Sasuke felt his annoyance grow, and he gave the most heated glare he could muster.

Suddenly the other boy was coming forward, his bright blue eyes going wide. And before he could react, before he could even let out a sound of protest…

Naruto's hot, tanned mouth was pressing firmly against his cool, pale lips in a full, open-mouthed kiss.

He jerked back instantly, shoving the blond off him as he choked and gagged, trying to force the taste of the loud idiot from his tongue and comprehend what the hell had just happened.

His stomach dropped, and his blood went ice cold.

"_From this day on you are cursed."_

He'd just had his first kiss.

"_Guard your first kiss,"_

With Uzumaki Naruto.

"_For the person that steals your first kiss will be the one who captures your body, mind, and heart,"_

The usuratonkachi that annoyed him to no end.

"_And you'll never be able to escape."_

Somewhere in the far recesses of his mind, Sasuke registered that Naruto was now being beaten to a bloody pulp by rabid fangirls, but all he could do was sit as a sense of doom clouded his thoughts.

But…but there was a chance, wasn't there? That the curse was only the ravings of a mad man? There was no way that he, Uchiha Sasuke, would ever, COULD ever fall in love with a dobe like Naruto!

He stole a glance an the now black and blue boy, sitting a seat down from his, and his heart gave a little lurch, and his stomach became queasy.

'_Damn you, Dobe!' _Sasuke thought, fighting the urge to slam his head down on the desk and scream curses to the heavens. _'What the hell have you DONE?'_

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><p><em><strong>Well that was chapter one! Leave me a review and tell me what you think! XD<strong>_


	2. Perverted Thoughts and Inner Voices

_**I don't own Naruto, kay? ^-^**_

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><p>"<em>FlashbacksMemories"_

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**'_Inner Sasuke'_**

* * *

><p>It Was Only a Kiss!<p>

Chapter Two

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><p>The young Uchiha sat listening to Iruka-sensei explain the formation of the teams, looking completely calm and composed as usual, but on the inside, he was having a fucking panic attack.<p>

'_ITS NOT REAL. IT'S NOT REAL. ITACHI IS A CRAZY BASTARD, AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT I COULD EVER FALL IN LOVE WITH A MORONIC, STUPID, ASSHAT LIKE UZUMAKI NARUTO!' _ he repeated over and over in his head like a mantra, trying desperately to convince himself that he truly had nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, he was failing.

'_Damn it Sasuke...get a fucking grip! You're starting to loose it!' _the raven haired boy berated himself. _'I've got nothing to worry about…I'll be assigned to a team, and probably never see him. Even if the curse is real, it won't matter if I never see the usuratonkachi!'_

Sasuke ripped his focus back to Iruka, so as not to appear foolish if he missed which team he would be assigned to, if not relieved, than at least calmed somewhat.

"Team 7 will be made of Haruno Sakura…Uzumaki Naruto…" Sasuke's heart gave a little lurch at his name, "and Uchica Sasuke," and sunk down through his stomach into the deepest fire pits of hell.

He wasn't exactly sure what he had done to deserve this torture, but he must have pissed off someone pretty big up there. And Sasuke would've bet anything that somewhere right now, Itachi was laughing at him.

The bastard.

"IRUKA-SENSEI! Why does an outstanding ninja like ME have to be on the same team as that BUM?" Naruto said loudly, standing and pointing his finger at Sasuke.

"Sasuke's grades were first among all 27 graduates! Naruto…you were DEAD LAST…we have to do this to balance the teams, understand?" Iruka yelled back.

"Tch, just stay out of my way, Dobe," Sasuke said with venom, pretending that the idiot's words hadn't caused his heart to clench.

There was more arguments between the blond and the other new member of his team, but Sasuke ignored them. What the hell was he supposed to do now? There was no avoiding Naruto now that they were supposed to train on the same team! Teams lasted for years…and there was no chance of being transferred to another group or getting Naruto kicked out. Sasuke groaned to himself. He was going to _kill _that son of a bitch Itachi.

Iruka dismissed the genin for lunch, and Sasuke was the first up and out of the room. He wanted to get as far away from everyone as possible. He started off in the direction that he knew most students wouldn't go, but froze stiff when he heard Naruto's voice.

"Saaakura-chaaan!" came his voice, and Sasuke did the most idiotic thing he'd ever done. He jumped into a fucking tree to spy. "Let's go eat together since we're in the same group now!" Naruto said, chasing after the pink haired girl.

Sasuke felt anger rise up in him. _'Tch…what's so special about that stupid girl? Why the hell would he go to Sakura?' _he thought bitterly.

**'_That bitch better back off…Naruto's MINE,' _**said a little voice in the back of Sasuke's mind.

'_Yeah, that's…wait, WHAT?' _Sasuke thought in horror. Had that really been his own thought?

**'_Face it…that boy's foxy. No use denying you want him, because if you didn't, you wouldn't be arguing with yourself right now,'_ **said Sasuke's inner voice again. **_'So suck it up, and get that fine piece of ass back from that whore!__'_**

Sasuke nearly screamed.

Nearly.

"Why do I have to eat lunch with _you_?" Sakura asked, sounding disgusted.

"But, we're in the same group, so…" Naruto said sheepishly, still desperately fishing for attention from the slightly frightening kunoichi

"You're annoying!" she said, not even bothering to give the crestfallen boy a backwards glace as she turned around and walked away, calling out to the boy who was still in the tree, his anger causing his blood to boil thickly in his veins.

'_How dare she treat him that way!'_ he fumed.

**'_No one talks to MY Naruto like that!__'_**

'_SINCE WHEN HAS HE BEEN MINE?' _Sasuke yelled at his inner voice. He pushed himself stealthily out of the tree, hightailing his ass as far away from the dobe as he could.

He climbed up into an empty room through an open window, resigning to a solitary lunch where he could try and sort out what the HELL he was supposed to do!

'_Breath, you're a fucking Uchiha…Uchiha's don't have fucking panic attacks!'_ Sasuke berated himself._ 'You're just overreacting…yeah that's it. Itachi just made you paranoid…that's all it is. Just a mind trick. As if I, Uchiha Sasuke, would ever fall in love with someone like him…so loud and annoying, always smiling that stupid grin…'_

'**…_that makes his eyes sparkle…'_**

'…_with his arms flexing behind his head…'_

'**…**_**pulling up his shirt…**'_

'…_showing of his tanned stomach…GAH! WHAT THE HELL! NO NO NO! I'm supposed to be clearing my mind of him! What the hell is wrong with me?' _Sasuke thought in horror, hitting himself in the forehead.

'_**Quit fighting it! We both know you want that sexy little spitfire! Denying it will only drive you insane!**'_

"Leave me alone!" Sasuke groaned aloud. This was a fucking disaster. He was so absorbed in arguing with himself, that he didn't notice said sexy little spitfire jumping in through the still opened window until the shorter boy was straddling his waist in a desperate attempt to wrestle the raven to the ground.

Sasuke's knees hit the floor, he twisted his body to look over his shoulder, and was met with bright blue eyes that made his heart leap to his throat. He was suddenly very aware of the cock now pressed against his lower back, and he instantly began trying to throw the blond off him, while trying desperately to ignore the slight bulge his own front was forming.

"Hold still dammnit!" Naruto hissed as he tried to pin Sasuke's arms to the floor.

Something feral seemed to rise up like a snake inside Sasuke at the blond's words. _'No way in HELL am I letting this dobe dominate ME!' _he growled in his head. With new found strength, Sasuke flipped his attacker over, rolling on the floor until he had the blond effectively pinned beneath him, a rope in hand…and also a quite nice view of the ass clad in bright orange cloth.

Sasuke gulped, but wasted no time in tying Naruto up, binding his flailing arms and legs.

'_**Damn, that ass**!'_ Sasuke's inner voice catcalled. _'**Don't you dare deny that you're seriously turned on right now!**_'

"Shut it!" Sasuke hissed aloud, taking out his anger on the last knot he was tying around Naruto's wrists with a last forceful tug.

The blond let out a muffled yell through the tape over his mouth and twisted his body so that he could glare heatedly into the dark eyes of the older boy standing over him.

Face flustered pink, and his wild hair in a mussed state, the sight of Naruto's pouting glare caused Sasuke's pulse to quicken as he froze, only able to form one coherent thought. _'c-cute…'_

An overwhelming urge seemed to fill the young Uchicha, one that he couldn't seem to control. Before his eyes, his hand started towards the boy without his instruction, and Sasuke could only wonder what it might feel like to let his cool fingers run across the smooth skin of Naruto's slightly exposed stomach.

But before Sasuke could get close to the blond, he exploded in a puff of smoke, revealing only a log where he had just been tied up.

"What the-" Sasuke started, coming out of his trance. Suddenly, five Narutos were coming in from all sides, and before he knew it, Sasuke was the one bound on the floor, looking up into the smirking blond's face.

"Henge no Justu!" Naruto yelled forming a seal with his hands, and with a puff, the blond turned into a smirking version of the Uchiha. "Ja ne!" the Sasuke-wannabe said down to the real raven haired boy, and leapt out the window without another word.

'_Dammit!'_ Sasuke thought venomously as he struggled against the ropes. _'I didn't think a guy who couldn't even replicate properly could use the shadow replication technique!'_

'**_Pathetic..._**' the inner Sasuke groaned.

Growling, Sasuke closed his eyes and concentrated, performing the jutsu to free himself from the ropes. After a moment, the ropes fell away and Sasuke sat up, rubbing his wrists where the rope had cut into his skin.

'_Damn that usuratonkachi…_' Sasuke thought as he pushed himself to his feet. _'Like hell if I'm going to let that little uke dominate me!'_

He took two steps towards the window, stopped, and thought back on what he'd actually thought.

"AUGH!" he screamed in disgust. "No no no! DOBE! Not _UKE_!" he said, grabbing his head in anguish as his inner voice cackled.

This was obviously going to be a much bigger problem than he had originally thought.

Sasuke resolved himself to figure out what that moron was up too, and pushed aside his fears and somewhat perverted inner voice and headed outside. He was searching for the familiar flash of orange and yellow, when a shrill shriek caught his attention.

"OH! Sasuke-kun you're such a shy guy!" said the new pink haired addition to his team. "Are you ready now? I sure am!"

Sasuke had no clue what on earth the girl was talking about, and frankly he didn't care. He had a blond genin to find. "Where's Naruto?" he said, hardly acknowledging her presence at all.

"Eh heh, don't change the subject. Who cares about Naruto?" she said, and instantly Sasuke froze, his back towards the rambling girl and a beast stirring deep within his gut. "All he does is get in fights with you. He hasn't had a normal childhood. He doesn't have any parents."

The beast inside Sasuke became more restless, and his anger grew with every word the girl spoke, and she continued on, oblivious to the hole she was digging herself into.

"He can do whatever he wants. If I acted like him, my parents would get so mad at me. He's so lucky, all alone, parents never getting on his case. That's why he misbehaves so much."

"All alone," Sasuke interrupted, startling the girl. "The sadness of having a parent yell at you is nowhere near what he feels," he said, his fist clenching in his attempt to control his rage.

"Huh? W-what's this all of a sudden?" Sakura said, taken aback at the harsh tone.

"You're," he said, turning his head over his shoulder to glare venomously at the girl, "annoying."

He turned and walked away, leaving the stunned girl behind, mouth agape and heart broken in two.

Sasuke stormed off, his blood boiling with rage. How dare she. How _dare_ she. Who gave her the authority to speak about things that she knew nothing about? He was furious. Furious with Sakura for reminding him of the death of his family, and the loss of his brother. Furious at her for mocking Naruto and treating him like he was something not even human. Furious with himself for caring about the idiot, and furious with himself for NOT being furious with that boy who was slowly but surely causing his sanity to kick the bucket.

Why couldn't he be angry that idiot? It was entirely his fault! If that dobe hadn't insisted on getting in his personal space, this would have just been a normal, fangirl-avoiding day! But no. Naruto just HAD to annoy him, and now, as a result, he was quickly heading in a downward spiral…and he could only imagine with horror where he would land.

Sasuke stormed back into the building. He needed to calm down. His hands were practically shaking with his anger. He just wanted to _hit_ something! He needed to get rid of his frustration, or he'd explode. And Uchiha's don't _explode_.

Loud footsteps were approaching fast, and Naruto came tearing around the corner, his eyes widening in shock as he spotted the raven, nearly colliding with the boy but skidding to a halt just in front of him, falling to the floor as he looked up as Sasuke with disbelief.

"WHAT? How did you…" he stammered, his mouth gaping wide like a fish.

"There are techniques for untying ropes, usuratonkachi," Sasuke smirked. If he could goad Naruto into a fight, it would be the perfect stress reliever…not to mention it would prove that this dobe had no power over him.

"TEME!" Naruto shouted, his face flushing red in anger. He formed a seal with his hands and shouted, "KAGE BUSHIN NO JUSTU!"

Sasuke's smirk vanished, and he took a fighting stance. _'Damn! Not this technique again!'_

Screaming Narutos were coming at him from all side, issuing loud war cries, when suddenly a fierce rumbling could be heard from each blond, and they fell to the floor, wincing in pain.

"B-bathroom!" they all shouted, and the ten idiots all made a mad dash for the single toilet, pushing each other and screaming curses, all trying to be the first in.

"Get out of my way!"

"Like hell! I've gotta go!"

"Urusai! I was here first!"

"Baka yarou! I'll punch your face in!"

"Like you could touch me you stupid asshole!"

Sasuke stared in disbelief as Naruto fought with…himself. Why didn't that idiot just release the jutsu, for kami sake? Fists were flying, hair was a ruffled mess, skin was glistening with sweat, and just when it seemed things couldn't get any more confusing, one Naruto grabbed another Naruto's orange pants and pulled them to the floor, accidentally taking boxers with them.

Sasuke turned away, blushing furiously at having caught the full view, and fled the scene as quickly as he could. Something that proved to be difficult with a raging erection standing tall and proud, stretching the white material of his usually roomy shorts. And as Sasuke ran, trying desperately to erase the image of what he had just seen, he screamed the same phrase over and over in his head.

'_DAMN YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKER ITACHI!'_

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><p><em><strong>LOL ok there's another chapter! I wanna thank everyone who reviewed! It means a ton XD <strong>_

_**Next time's gonna be fun! Looks like someone's about to question their own sexuality! XD **_

_**Ahhhh…Sasuke, this is payback for betraying Konoha :p and I'm gonna milk every second! **_

_**Edit: Had to change sasuke's inner voice from underlined to bold words...ff was flipping out and wouldn't let me underline certain words... -.-'  
><strong>_

_**Ja ne!**_


	3. Questioning One's Sexuality

_**I don't own Naruto, kay? ^-^**_

* * *

><p>"<em>FlashbacksMemories"_

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'_**Inner Sasuke'**_

* * *

><p>It Was Only A Kiss!<p>

Chapter Three

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><p>Not long after that fateful day, the youngest Uchiha adopted a new favorite catch phrase, one that he found himself repeating in his head day in, and day out.<p>

"I am not gay," Sasuke would tell himself upon waking each morning, alone in his big bed inside the lonely Uchiha compound.

"I am not gay," he'd tell his reflection accusingly in the mirror as he pulled on the same, big collared shirt and white shorts.

"I. Am. Not. Gay," he'd chant in between bites of his cereal at the breakfast table.

"I," he'd pause just long enough to spit in the sink as he brushed his teeth, "am _not_ gay," he'd say, glaring at his mirror image, as if daring it to contradict his words.

And every morning, the young teen in denial would leave his house, confident that he was still as asexual as he had been the morning of the gennin exams. A confidence that was slowly but surely starting to wear thin.

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><p>Training with Kakashi the first day, Sasuke's quick glance towards the still sleep befuddled blond turned into a long stare as the blond walked towards the meeting place, his spikey hair ruffled even more than usual and his clothes hanging off his frame slightly, looking <em>slightly suggestive<em> to the young Uchiha.

'_**Wouldn't it be great to make sure he woke up like that EVERY morning!**__' _the inner Sasuke smirked perversely, licking his lips at the sight of the yummy blond.

The raven simply turned his head with a snort. _'I am NOT gay!'_ he told his inner voice, choosing, for the sake of his pride, to ignore the blush that stained his cheeks.

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><p>After their disastrous first training session, Naruto had managed to be the only one imprisoned to the pole without lunch. Sasuke and Sakura sat on the ground in front of him, dejected, tired, and Sasuke's case, pissed off.<p>

"_All three of you should just quit as ninjas!" _Kakashi had said heatedly, glaring down at them.

"Tch," Sasuke said in annoyance. His first day as a gennin, and he'd already failed. How the hell was he supposed to beat Itachi and get him to tell the truth about the damn "curse" if he couldn't even get a stupid bell from a pervert with his nose in a book?

What was Kakashi trying to accomplish, anyway? It was like he was purposely trying to set them all up to fail. And his mission didn't make any sense anyway. How did humiliating the inexperienced ninjas make them better in any way? Besides…denying the blond idiot of food he clearly needed. Weren't they supposed to be working on teamwork? How was that supposed to work out if one member was on the verge of passing out from hunger the whole time?

"Heh! I don't need any food! I'm fine, yup!" Naruto screamed from his position above the silently sulking shinobi, but was interrupted when his stomach let out a loud, ominous moan, causing his face to screw up in pain.

'_**What are you doing! Give him some of your lunch! You can't just let him suffer there while you eat!'**_Sasuke's inner voice growled at him, for once not being perverted.

'_Hn…I can't afford for him to slow me down…' _he mussed, fishing for a reasonable excuse.

'_**Pfft, fine. Whatever. Just hurry up before the perv comes back. By the way…that bastard is going to pay for touching MY Naruto's ass!'**_

Sasuke just ignored the new and annoying addition to his head and glanced quickly up at the blond, whose stomach was still growling like thunder.

"Here," he said, shoving his lunch towards the trussed up boy, refusing to look at him, lest he see the supposedly emotionless raven's red tinted cheeks.

"Hey! Sasuke-kun! Kakashi-sensei just said…" Sakura said, her eyes growing large, and Sasuke felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Don't worry, I don't sense him near here. After lunch we'll work together and get the bells," Sasuke said, purposefully avoiding the bewildered stares of both his teammates. "Without food…he'll only be in the way, and hurt us," he added for good measure, silently applauding himself for thinking up a reasonable excuse before hand.

When there was only silence, the Uchiha boy stole a glance at the whiskered blond, and his dark eyes met the clear blue as the boy stared wide eyed at him, as if Sasuke had just announced his undying love for the Uzumaki. Or something else equally _impossible_.

Naruto found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the raven's as he tried to figure out what was going through the other's mind. The spell only broke when Sakura too shoved her lunch up at Naruto, blushing furiously.

Naruto's eyes grew even larger as he stared down at the pink haired girl, and he looked down, a smile that was different than his usual idiotic grin lifting the edges of his mouth, something that Sasuke noticed with a stab of jealousy.

Why hadn't Naruto smiled like that for _him_?

"Hehe…Thanks…" he said, and Sasuke could hear the genuine gratitude behind the words. Though Sasuke had the feeling that the words were directed more towards the other member of his group. Another pang of jealousy shot through the Uchiha at Sakura.

'_**That bitch doesn't stand a chance against me! Naruto's MINE, and it'll be a cold day in hell when she takes him from me!'**_ the inner Sasuke ragged.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and he squashed down his inner voice.

'_I AM NOT GAY!'_

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><p>On their first C ranked mission, what had started out as a boring walk to Wave Country had suddenly turned to chaos.<p>

Sasuke had been watching a certain blond out of the corner of his eye, and while he would admit to himself that he was watching his teammate, he _would not_ admit, in his thoughts or aloud for that matter, that his gaze had been gradually been migrating farther and farther south on the orange clad ninja. Which was partially the reason he didn't notice the presence of two unwanted ninja until they were already tearing his jounin sensei apart.

And while his teammates and the client's eyes all grew wide with horror at the sight of the silver haired teacher's body being gorily torn apart, Sasuke's heart clenched in fear for a different reason.

The enemy ninja were now making a beeline towards Naruto, who stood, his face frozen in panic.

"Two down!" one said maliciously, and Sasuke saw the chain that had been used to dismember Kakashi flying towards Naruto, red blood shining sickeningly in the glaring sun.

'_**SAVE HIM!'**_ Sasuke's inner voice was screaming, but the raven didn't have to be told.

With out even having to think, he was leaping into the air, releasing a shuriken to intercept the chain, a kunai shortly following to grab the second and pin both ninja's weapons to a tree. He landed with grace on their arms, eyes hard and blazing. Without wasting a second, he put his weight on his hands, simultaneously kicking both of the enemies in the head, causing the chains to break off their arms and send them flying back.

But the two masked nin didn't pause either. In an instant they both took off, one headed for Naruto, and the other for the client and Sakura, who was standing in front of him in an effort to protect him. And Sasuke knew that neither one of his teammates stood a chance. His head was screaming at him to go to Sakura; to protect the client and complete the mission, but his heart, hell his very _soul_ was pulling him towards Naruto. And then Sasuke felt the presence of another, unseen ninja.

'_Kakashi!'_

He made a split second decision, going towards the client and Sakura, who were closer, trusting that his jounin guide could protect Naruto. He jumped in front of them, spreading his arms out wide as he braced himself for impact against the charging ninja.

His heart froze as he heard Naruto scream.

And suddenly, both nin were in the middle of the clearing, being restrained by a perfectly cool Kakashi. "Naruto, I'm sorry I didn't save you immediately. I got you injured. I didn't think you'd freeze like that. Anyway, nice job Sasuke," he said, as if he didn't care at all that Naruto's hand had been sliced by the enemy.

Sasuke fumed silently. He had trusted that pervert, and in the end, he didn't care about Naruto at all. He'd left the blond to defend himself, even seeing how Naruto hadn't moved an inch to protect himself or flee.

He wanted to lash out at his teacher, yell at him for allowing _his_ _Naruto_ to be injured, when he could have prevented the injury so easily. But he couldn't…he didn't have a justifiable reason.

His gaze trained on Naruto's eyes, still wide with shock and fear. "Oi, you alright…" he heard himself saying before he could stop himself. "…scardy cat?" he added hastily, making it sound to the others in the vicinity like he was mocking the blond.

The glare Naruto sent his was furious. Sasuke's insides flinched at seeing such obvious hatred thrown at him, and Naruto started forward as if he was about to attack the Uchiha, but Kakashi's voice stopped it.

"Save it for later, Naruto. Their claws are soaked in poison. We have to remove it quickly. We must open the wound and release the poisoned blood from your body. Don't move to much or the poison will spread."

Kakashi turned to question the client Tazuna, but Sasuke's eyes were still fixed on his male teammate.

Naruto was glaring at the wound in his hand, the muscles twitching as the fingers of his hand slowly balled into a fist. Sasuke watched the boy who obviously had a million thoughts racing through his mind as numerous thoughts circulated in his own head.

"We aren't ready for this mission. Let's quit!" Sakura spoke up, and for once, Sasuke wasn't annoyed with what she was saying. "We'll need medicine for Naruto's wound. We should go back to the village and take him to a doctor."

Silently, Sasuke thanked the pinked haired girl for voicing the things he wouldn't dare say aloud. But Naruto was not so happy. His head shot up as he stared wide-eyed and angry at the silver haired jounin.

"Hmm, this might be too much…I guess we should return to the village to treat Naruto…" Kakashi mused, seemingly unaffected by Naruto's increasing anger.

Sasuke let out a silent breath of relief he wasn't even aware he had been holding, sure that with everyone looking at Naruto's injured hand, it had gone unnoticed.

But unfortunately for the gennin, a certain pink haired shinobi _had_ noticed.

'_Sasuke-kun is…relieved?' _she thought incredulously. _'I thought he'd be angry for quitting the mission…'_ her thoughts trailed off. It was just too confusing for the girl who had thought she knew her handsome teammate.

Trying not to seem to eager to get Naruto the medical attention he desperately needed, Sasuke turned and began to leave down the road they had just walked, trusting that the rest of his traveling party would follow. He did not, however, expect to see a flash of silver accompanied with the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh, and every eye in the vicinity was drawn to Naruto in shock as he stood with the kunai sticking out of the back of his hand.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" Sakura shrieked as blood poured from the fresh wound in Naruto's hand.

Naruto still hadn't looked up from his hand. He glared down at it with such intense anger, and Sasuke was mesmerized as Naruto looked up to meet the stares of the others, a fierce look of determination lighting up the brilliantly blue eyes.

"With this kunai, I'll protect the old man," Naruto said, his voice strong. "We're continuing the mission," he ended, his voice brimming with a seriousness that had seemed impossible for the usually immature boy.

Sasuke stared at him with wide eyes, transfixed by the determination that Naruto had held, unable to shake himself of the image even as Kakashi cheerfully reminded the Uzumaki that he could die of blood loss, making him jump and babble about in his usual loud way.

In fact, the youngest Uchiha was replaying that instant over and over in his head with a few minor substitutions to the scene. Namely a sparkling pink background and the dobe on the ground, significantly _naked_ with a blush creeping along the entirety of his lithe little body as he demanded that Sasuke continue, despite the fear of the unknown shining behind the determination in his mesmerizing blue eyes…

Sasuke was brought back to the real world when his inner voice let out a long groan of longing. _**'Mustfuck, mustfuck, mustfuck, mustfuck, mustfuck, mustfuck, mustfuck, mustfuck, mustfuck,'**_

Eyes widening in realization, he turned quickly from the hopping blond, letting out a frustrated grunt as he shook his head, desperately trying to force the image from his mind.

'_DAMMIT NO!' _Sasuke inwardly shouted. _'NO NAKED NARUTO! I'M NOT GAY!'_

'_**Liar, liar, tented-shorts on fire!'**_

With a horrified glance downwards, Sasuke saw the rather prominent tent in his shorts, and instantly began making attempts to hide it from the rest of his team as they continued down the road, blushing all the while.

* * *

><p>His breaths were coming in short, painful gasps, and his knees shook with the effort it took for him to just stand.<p>

"Uhh…" groaned a voice from the ground behind him.

"Geez…all you ever do is get in the way," he panted, but there was no real heat in the words.

"Sasuke! You…" but the rest of his sentence was cut off when the blond that had just regained consciousness realized the state of his teammate.

Turning his head with difficulty due to the needles piercing through different parts of his body to look at Naruto's disbelieving face. "What's…with that face…you moron?"

"Why?" he demanded, confusion etched in every concerned line of his face.

For a moment, Sasuke couldn't answer. Why _did_ he risk his life for the annoying boy? Scenes of Naruto and himself flashed before his mind rapidly. Heated glares and words. Smirks of triumph every time one bested the other. An arm thrown casually across his shoulder. Smiles. The kiss.

The answer hit the Uchiha like a freight train. The reason why he had thrown himself in the way of the deadly attack was because…

He was in love.

He was in love with that loud, sometimes stupid boy with sunshine blond hair and eyes blue and shining with genuine desire for friendship.

He was in love with Uzumaki Naruto.

The raven-haired boy let out a scoff. "I hated you…" he trailed off, voicing his thoughts aloud, thinking of how many times he had come home from school, bristling with anger about that blond, complaining to anyone who'd listen to how much he _hated_ him.

It was ironic…really.

"But…but…why? Why me?" Naruto still couldn't understand, he couldn't grasp why _Sasuke_ had sacrificed himself for him.

Sasuke knew why. But he wasn't going to say it aloud. What was the point now? Now that he was…dying…

"I NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR HELP!" Naruto screamed, but Sasuke could hear the guilt behind the words.

"I don't know," he lied easily. "My body just moved on it's own…Idiot."

With the bitter taste of his false words still in his mouth, the remainder of Sasuke's strength left him, and he began to fall, fully expecting to hit the hard ground. He was surprised when he felt the warmth of his teammate breaking his fall instead of the cold concrete.

Naruto's terrified face swam above him, and Sasuke would have blushed at the close contact of the boy he now realized he loved, but he knew that time was almost out for him, and he had to tell him…say something…even if it wasn't the words his heart longed to say.

"That man…my brother…I told myself I wouldn't die before I killed him…" he forced out, trying to let him know, let him know how _important_ Naruto was to him. Important enough for him to give up his dream. "Don't die also."

He should have said more…his _wanted _to say more, but in the end, he couldn't make the words leave his mouth. The world turned dark around him, and the last thing he saw were tears welling up in the clear blue eyes…

Those fucking beautiful eyes…

* * *

><p>Something heavy was weighing down on his chest. Moans of grief floated to him in the darkness that surrounded him, and the sound of a slowly re-starting heart seemed to echo from every direction.<p>

'_Did I die?'_ the youngest Uchiha wondered to himself. He certainly remembered dying. He remembered lying in the arms of his loud teammate as his vision blurred and faded, leaving him in the dark place he was now. But if he were dead…would he be able to remember such things?

The shaking sobs that were steadily growing louder made it hard for him to think straight.

"…Sasuke-kun…"

That voice…he recognized it.

'_Sakura…? Am I…am I…?'_

Suddenly he could feel his body more clearly. Something was splayed across his chest, making it ever more difficult to draw breath. He forced his heavy eyelids open, and nearly had to shut them again when brink pink hair blinded him.

"Sakura…you're heavy…" he managed to choke out.

The girl's head snapped up, her face damp with moister. Her tears began to fall harder, and with a great cry of relief, the kunoichi dived down on him, pulling his battered body in a painful hug.

"Sakura…that hurts!" he moaned, wincing at the added pain.

"Ah! S-sorry!" she said shakily gently releasing her teammate.

"What about…Naruto…and that masked kid!" Sasuke said struggling to push himself to his feet. If they were still fighting, he had to go, now!

"Don't move!" Sakura cried in alarm at the raven's hasty movements. "Naruto is fine…and that masked kid is dead!"

Sasuke whipped his head around to look at her with alarm. "Dead? Did Naruto kill him?"

"N-no," Sakura said, still looking a bit shaken. "I'm not sure…but he tried to protect Zabuza…"

Relief flooded the Uchiha. Naruto…was still to free spirited to handle his first killing. Taking another's life…even if they are the enemy, it wasn't something for the young or weak at heart. Naruto…wasn't strong enough, yet.

"I see…" Sasuke said to himself. Haku had said he would do anything for Zabuza…and in the end, he achieved his goal.

"It's impressive that you prevented the attacks in your vital areas!" Sakura said happily, blushing slightly as she attempted to praise him.

"No…" Sasuke murmured softly. He hadn't done a thing. It had been Haku that had spared his life. The thought sent his mind reeling.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled across to a bright orange figure standing a ways away. "HE'S ALRIGHT! SASKUE-KUN IS ALIVE!"

Sasuke raised his eyes in time to see the blond whip his head around, his blue eyes wide as they searched for visual proof. When the seas of cobalt found him, Sasuke's heart seemed to choke his throat, memories of his realization in those final moments crashing down on him. Unable to speak, he raised his hand in a sort of half hearted wave.

Tears began to pool behind those glassy windows, and a smile began to turn the corners of his tanned mouth. Sasuke watched from the corner of his vision as Naruto shut his eyes and turned his head downward, allowing a smile to dominate his face.

The same smile he had given Sakura the day of Kakashi's bell test.

Sasuke's heart began to beat wildly, but he didn't even try to hide the blush that stained his cheeks, thinking that the numerous cuts and bruises he'd receive would cover them up.

'_Damn it all to hell…'_ he thought savagely to himself. _'I'm gay.'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sorry for the late update. Been quite hectic with my family recently. Anyways, someone asked if this was going to follow cannon, and in a way, yes. But I'm not going to go through every single event in the manga or anime. (sorry, but I don't really feel like revisiting the chuunin exams…) I really want to get to where Shippuden starts…because that's when the actual story will come into play.<strong>_

_**Thanks for all the feedback I've gotten! Prepare yourselves for a perverted/possessive Sasuke soon! (evil laugh)**_

_**Oh…poor Naru-chan XD**_

_**Thanks for reading! **_

_**~Ducky**_


	4. Need Your Help Please!

_**Hello! I could really use some help.**_

_**You see, I've got this entire story completely mapped out…plot pretty much down to a T. The chapter I'm currently working on however is a prelude that lets me skip pretty much the entire original Naruto series. Not that I don't love it, its just my plans don't really affect the main story line of Naruto until Shippuden begins. The events of Naruto are exactly the same, however NOW we're aware of the scandalous thoughts Sasuke-kun's been thinking this whole time :3 much to his own horror ^0^**_

_**Here is my question for you!**_

_**My original plan was to skip the Naruto series almost entirely, only highlighting the curse and Sasuke's reasons for defecting and other decisions that aren't exactly typical of a boy in love, and skipping to Shippuden where things start to bend from cannon. The only problem with that is, I'm skipping over a lot of material if I do that. Like I said earlier, I have all the events in my head, its just the matter of whether you want me to write it NOW, and experience the "in-denyal" "tryna' hide it" Sasuke and the lovingly clueless Naruto, or continue with my original plan with the Pervy/Possesive Sasuke and the Bewildered/WTFISGOINGON Naruto! (what I'm more eager to get to!)**_

**Note: if I don't write this sub section here, I'll most likely post it as a separate story somewhere in the near future, or as little flashbacks into the past as a comic relief.**

_**I'd really appreciate it if you'd just let me know! PM or Private message! I'm not going to bother with a poll…I can count just fine, thank you very much.**_

_**Thank you so much for bearing with me! I appreciate all your kind words!**_

_**See you soon with an ACTUAL chapter!**_

_**~Ducky**_


	5. Au Revoir Mon Amant

_**I don't own Naruto, kay? ^-^**_

* * *

><p>"<em>FlashbacksMemories"_

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'_**Inner Sasuke'**_

'_**Curse Mark Sasuke'**_

* * *

><p>It Was Only A Kiss!<p>

Chapter Four

Au Revoir Mon Amant

* * *

><p>All throughout the village, the waning moon shone down upon the empty streets, reflecting it's stolen light upon the silence of the night. Every shinobi and civilian was tucked away inside, the recent calamities that had struck their village keeping them from venturing out. Only one boy broke the stillness, turbulent thoughts racing through his fracturing mind.<p>

He was leaving.

Now.

He had no other choice. It was either that, or submit himself to that man…accept the fate that bastard of a brother had cursed him with.

Ever since that day…that one stupid folly, his life had become a complete mockery of the Uchiha memory. Every day, it seemed, the curse grew stronger, and no amount of denial or self-trickery would change it.

He'd almost snapped - too many times to count. He'd almost given in to a desire that was not his own…laid down like an obedient dog to an abusive master.

Well he would tolerate it no more.

He, Uchiha Sasuke, would _not _be told how to live his life, not by his brother, not by some curse...not even by the _snake_ that had dared mark him as if he were an animal for sale.

It was no easy task, slipping out into the village unnoticed, when half of his mind – that parasitic half that was _not _himself – was so vehement on staying here, in this mockery of a village. That damnable voice, it wanted to actually _stay_ with these pathetic people, who lived every day as if life were some sort of game, _stay_ in this place where people waited like sitting ducks until things really started to go to hell, _stay_ with that stupid, blond haired…

A physical pain shot through his body, causing Sasuke to grip the skin above his heart as the face of the boy who was the source of all his trouble flashed in his mind, sending a wave of different emotions crashing through him.

Anger. Resentment. Frustration. Fear. Longing. Love.

The strength of it all seared the inside of his body, and his mind quickly became crowded and confused, as if three voices were competing for control, all at once.

'_**Forget the boy!' **_the first hissed in his mind. Whispering. Taunting. Luring. '_**It's what Itachi wanted! Don't give in to that man who ruined your life!'**_

'_I don't want…I never wanted…' _he answered. Soft. Unsure. Spinning.

'_**You can't leave, you can't leave him!' **_came the other, once so sure of itself, now fearful. Scared. Distraught. _** 'He can give you back what you've lost…and he needs you as well!'**_

'_What…I've lost?' _So confused. '_But…can he? And why…what good am I to him?'_

'_**Listen to yourself now!'**_ Angry. Commanding. **'**_**You don't need to consider your worth to anyone but yourself! All that matters is you!'**_

'_That…that's right…I need…I need to avenge my clan, my family…'_

'_**Yes…good…don't let go of your goals…seek the power you need, the power you crave…'**_

'_**He's part of your family as well!' **_Pleading. Begging._** 'You love him! You can't deny it!'**_

'_I…love him…' _Truth. '_I love him so much…'_

'_**Which is why you can't stay! Think of Itachi! He couldn't be beaten by one of the village's sannin…the strongest this village has to offer! Itachi wants the boy…he came after the boy! He ripped everything you loved away from you once…and now he seeks to do it again!'**_

'_**No…he can't…' **_Panic. Fear. Terror. _**'He mustn't be aloud! He won't HARM NARUTO!'**_

'_Not Naruto…'_ Broken. _'never Naruto…' _Burdened. _'please not him too…' _Desperate.

'_**Leave this place! You've been offered real strength! The power to kill that man and defy his will! Find the strength to choose your own path! Do not settle for the path chosen for you!'**_

'_**Protect him…'**_ Love. _**'Protect him…'**_

'_**Kill him…'**_Hate. _**'Kill him…'**_

'_**Protect him…'**_

'_**Kill him…'**_

"Orochimaru," Sasuke whispered aloud…nothing but the night air floating in through his open window there to bear witness to the insanity that gripped the young boy.

That wretched man was the key...the key to freedom from this curse. One way or another, he would break away from the confusion and fear his wretched brother had bound him with.

_**'Orochimaru...' **_ the seal on the junction of his shoulder and neck throbbed, _**'He can give us power,' **_He could feel the marked place on his irritated skin, _**'But he wants us for himself!' **_and he had to resist the urge to claw it from his skin, till the blemish was there no more, _**'He will take us! USE us!'**_

"No one uses me!" The young Uchiha growled. "I bend to the will of _no one!"_

'_**He'll take our eyes…'**_came the other voice, and he hardly noticed that the voice no longer spoke to him…but as him. _**'He'll take them, and use them…use them to destroy the village, destroy our Naruto!'**_

"No…I won't allow it!" he whispered angrily. "That _snake_ thinks far too highly of himself…I'll show him. I will _use him_!"

'_**Yes, we will let him train us…make him believe we are his tool!'**_ the demented voice hissed. _**'We will show that impudent old fool that no one is a match for the great Uchiha clan!'**_

Laughter echoed vaguely inside the young boy's mind, cruel and insane, but Sasuke paid it no mind. He turned towards the picture sitting innocently on his bedside table, the inhabitants of the picture staring out into the room, his silent companions that served only to remind him of the things he was leaving behind. He allowed his eyes to linger on the blond haired figure, conflicting thoughts tossing around in his head like waves in a storm.

The desire to beat him, yet the desire to protect. The desire to be with him, yet at the same time to flee as far from him as possible.

The desire to hate him.

The desire to love him.

His rival, his friend.

His enemy, his greatest love.

Screwing his eyes shut, Sasuke set the picture back down on the table, turning away from the blue eyes that captured him so easily…_too_ easily.

All these things…Konoha…they were all just distractions from his main goal.

Avenge his clan.

Kill Itachi.

Once he was free of the imprisoning walls of this village, he'd be one step closer to his ultimate goal.

The thought of what he might do after he reached his goal never even crossed his mind.

Careful not to disturb the quiet of the night, the young shinobi slipped out of his home, the place that marked his childhood, and the traumatic ending of it, never once sparing a glance at the hallowed and haunted walls.

His steps were silent and purposed as he walked the streets, taking to the shadows, though there was no one out to see or stop him.

The village gates were drawing nearer, and the tops of the thick trees that surrounded the Hidden Village could be seen over the edge of the wall. He quickened his pace, almost eager to reach his destination, when a presence made itself known.

Standing in the middle of the path, just a few feet down the road, stood the pink haired kunoichi, Sakura, a weary look on her face.

Sasuke paused for a moment, and he saw her eyes widen slightly when she spotted the bag on his back. Steeling his resolve, he stood still as the girl walked up to him.

"Why are you prowling around here in the middle of the night?" he asked her coolly. He hadn't counted on meeting anyone on his way out of the village.

"I knew you'd come this way if you were to leave…so I just waited here," came her solemn response, candid and straight to the point.

"Get out of here and go back to sleep," Sasuke didn't deny the truth behind the girl's words. There was no point. Looking away from the sea green eyes, he began to walk past her, as if she didn't matter to him in the slightest.

"Why won't you say anything to me?" she said loudly, her voice wavering slightly from the tears that now poured down her cheeks. "Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a word to me!"

"I told you I don't need your help," Sasuke shot back, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. "Don't try and look after me."

"No matter what, you just always hate me, don't you?" she spoke, her voice laden with sadness, and Sasuke, though he knew he shouldn't waste precious time here, he found himself frozen in place by the words of the teammate who he had come to see as a friend. "You remember? When we became gennins, the day our three man team was decided, the first time we were here by ourselves, you were so mad at me…" her voice trailed off, lost in the memories of how foolish she had truly been in those early days, how naïve.

"I don't remember that," the lie slipped from his tongue easily, being so used to doing it day in and day out for the past year of his life.

Of course he remembered. How could he not? That was the day his carefully planned life had taken a turn for the unpredictable. That was the day Uzumaki Naruto bound his unwilling soul.

"Haha…I guess you're right," Sakura laughed humorlessly. "Its all in the past now. That's when it all began though, me, you, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, and we did all sorts of missions, just the four of us. It was painful and difficult at times, but even with that, I really enjoyed it."

Sasuke didn't answer. He didn't know what he could say. That he hadn't enjoyed it? That he had hated every minute of it?

There were some lies that even he couldn't tell.

"I know all about your past, Sasuke. Even if you get your revenge, it wont bring anyone happiness…not even you," she paused, taking a deep breath, as if stealing herself,

"…nor Naruto."

The result was instantaneous. His shoulders stiffened visibly, and his breath caught in his throat. The year he had spent lying and denying was undone with the use of two simple words.

"I knew it!" Sakura's whisper seemed louder than if she had shouted it. "All this time…ever since that first day! You've acted so odd around him…" Sakura's mind was reeling. She couldn't believe the implications, even though a small voice in the back of her mind had thought it true for the last year. "You…You care about him, don't you?"

"I'm different from you," Sasuke replied, his sweating palms balling into fists at his side. "I can't follow the same path as the rest of you."

"You didn't answer my question!" Sakura spoke louder. "You care about Naruto, don't you? What do you feel for him?"

"There is something I must do!" Sasuke yelled over her. "Deep inside my heart I've already decided on revenge! For that reason only do I live! I'll never be like you or Naruto!" the name came out with a quiver of his voice, and Sasuke cursed his own weakness for the boy.

"Do you really want to be alone?" Sakura asked softly. He could hear the tears in her desperate tone. "You told me how painful it was! Do you really want to go back to that? Naruto…he's an orphan. I once said how I envied him…but now I understand! The pain he feels is the same as yours! You…you're important to him, important to all of us! If you care about him…don't make him live that loneliness again!"

His head was spinning, and Sakura's words battled the voices in his mind. A war that could have no victor. The blemished skin that served as a visible mark of the curse he wore throbbed painfully.

"From here on out, we all begin new paths," Sasuke spoke coolly, never once hinting at his inner turmoil. "I won't submit to anyone!"

Tears were pouring freely down Sakura's face now, and couldn't hide the frustration she felt at the raven haired boy she had once fawned over with no reason. "I…" she choked, her voice trembling, "I love you will all my heart!" she shouted at him. "You…you and Naruto, and even Kakashi-sensei! You've become so important to me! I used to say I loved you, back before any of this mess had ever happened, but I didn't know what it meant to truly love someone!"

Sakura's watched the back of the youngest Uchiha's head, feeling anguish at the urgent need to keep her broken team together. "But then I got to know you…the _real _you! Not the perfect Sasuke I'd pictured up in my mind! I got to know the _real_ Naruto! Everyday, I saw the way you looked at him when you thought no one was watching. I saw how he could rile you up, annoy you to no end, and yet you still had that look in your eyes…the one I could never recognize…" Sakura's voice trailed off, trying to read the raven haired boy's thoughts. "But I wonder…is it that you love him? Do you…do you love Naruto?"

Hearing those words aloud, and uttered from another's lips, Sasuke felt the truth to the question more than he ever had before.

A smile twisted one corner of his mouth, though there was no joy in his face as he turned his head to finally look at Sakura. "You really are annoying."

He turned to leave. He'd made up his mind. He wouldn't stay here in this village, he wouldn't follow his brother's will.

"DON'T LEAVE!" Sakura cried helplessly. "Please! It's true isn't it? Just tell me! Do you love Naruto?"

Suddenly there was a flicker, and Sasuke was behind her, his face pressed close to her ear.

He murmured something in her ear, the answer to her question. But a blow to the head followed suit, and darkness claimed the young girl.

When she would wake in the morning, laid carefully on a stone bench, she would be unable to recall what her former teammate had said.

* * *

><p>The light was slowly fading around him. Dark clouds of an ominous black closed around the few remaining beams, casting gloom over the winner of the battle that had just taken place there.<p>

Though the winner felt no sense of victory.

With a small thunk, the standard Konoha forehead protector fell to the ground at his feet, a long deep scratch crossing through the Leaf symbol.

A part of him, shoved deep within his subconscious, was crying. Hurting.

He'd done this…shoved a chidori through his chest, actually tried to kill him.

He'd tried to kill Naruto.

Now that it was over, now that the blood poisoned by Orochimaru's curse seal and the hatred for his brother had ceased pumping so vigorously through his body, he now saw the boy, for what he truly was.

Not an annoying idiot who picked fights.

Not the dead last who had stolen his first kiss, and trapped him forever.

Not the stupid weakling and enemy who kept him from his goal.

He saw _Naruto_.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, and odd whisker-like marks that adorned each cheek.

A broad smile that reached even the most secluded places, bringing warmth with it.

A lonely boy, without a soul to rely on but himself.

And today, he had done what his Itachi had years ago. He, the person called _best friend,_ betrayed that lonely boy.

The sky above gave a loud crack, booming its displeasure at his treachery. The clouds swirled above, and began to mirror that inner voice, weeping profusely for the boy that now lay broken at his feet.

'_**Kill him…Kill him…'**_ the snake-like voice reverberated around him, so that the Uchiha thought it was someone speaking aloud.

'_**Not Naruto…never Naruto…please, not him too…'**_pleaded the other over and over again, so soft inside his own mind.

"Not Naruto…" he echoed aloud, "Never…Naruto…"

The cruel voice seemed to growl with displeasure, but Sasuke pushed it away.

He made his own decisions.

A pain shot through his body, so strong that it felt like his entire body was being ripped apart by the very cells.

He fell to his knees in anguish, crying out and coughing up blood, but his voice was lost in the sound of the sky's tears.

Very slowly he opened his eyes, and found himself faced with tanned eyelids, hiding those shockingly blue eyes that his wretched heart longed to see so badly, one last time. The rain trickled down his face and onto his love's, so wet that he was unsure if the moisture was from the sky, or if it was his own sadness making itself known.

He hardly spared a thought as he brought his face down closer to the blond haired boy's.

Sasuke pressed his pale lips against Naruto's tan ones, still warm, even in the cold rain.

As he left the sight moments later, even as a part of him compelled him to go back and finish the job, end his bondage once and for all, the Uchiha knew he would never forget the feel of Uzumaki Naruto's kiss.

Ever.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Whoo depressing. I teared up a little bit there. Now to clear some things up!<strong>_

_**Sasuke has gone CRAZY. Yes I mean "throw him in the nut-house and tie him up" cray cray. I've skipped the majority of Naruto the original series, because the events up to this point were completely cannon. Just Sasuke in hopeless denial. But after he got his "cursed hickey of doom," Sasuke started have another little voice talking to him in his head. This voice was brought on by Orochimaru, and is basically like the little devil on Sasuke's shoulder. It wasn't always so prominent, it kinda slithered it's way in over time, until the poor kid finally lost it. That was the part you missed since I skipped the cannon events. I'll post the progression either as flash backs or as a separate story, I haven't decided yet! But you'll get the gist of how it happened.**_

_**Just to clear something up, SASUKE DID NOT LEAVE TO PROTECT NARUTO. He left for power. Plain and simple. That one little part of him just needed a push, a reason to betray our favorite little orange ninja, and Itachi going after him was just the thing it needed.**_

_**Also Sakura's gonna play a big part in the next chapter! She's a lot smarter than most people give her credit. And NO she won't be trying to split Naruto and Sasuke up…in fact I'm sure you'll all be ready to bow down and worship Sakura after next chapter XD**_

_**Also get ready for more NARRRUUTOOO! This story's had a lack thereof so far…but I shall fix that soon! **_

_**I guess that means the introduction arch is finally over…get ready for the main plot coming up soon!**_

_**Thanks for reading, I'd love a review if you've got the time! Requests and critiques are welcome!**_

_**And THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED! Every single message/review was read and taken into consideration, and I hope those who wanted me to go through all of cannon aren't too angry with me for going with my original plan!**_

_**GET READY FOR PERVY SASUKE AND WTFISGOINGON NARUTO! XD**_

_**Love**_

_**~Ducky **_


	6. So Let's Say Hello Again

_**I don't own Naruto, kay? ^-^**_

* * *

><p>"<em>FlashbacksMemories"_

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'_**Inner Sasuke'**_

'_**Curse Mark Sasuke'**_

* * *

><p>It Was Only A Kiss!<p>

Chapter Five

So Let's Say Hello Again

* * *

><p><em>~Three Years Later ~<em>

Deep in the dark of the underground tunnels of Orochimaru's layer, a mass of black rats scurried along walls and under doors. Their tiny bodies, composed of black ink, had only one purpose, to find Uchiha Sasuke.

Through a gap between floor and door, a mouse slipped inside a closed off room. A ways away, the jutsu wielder's eyes opened. The target had been found.

With silence that was second nature to him, Sai crept through the empty halls. He stopped at a wooden door, and worked quickly to unlock it. Pushing it open slightly, he peered into the room, and saw a body, asleep on a hard bed. The crest of a red and white fan stamped onto his back easily identified the body as his target.

Three black snakes slithered into the room, slinking along the floor as they approached the sleeping Uchiha. They moved into position, preparing to wrap themselves around him, when Sasuke shifted.

"Who's there?" his voice came, dispassionate to the situation.

"You caught me red-handed," Sai answered back easily, in the same uncaring tone. "Still, I've acquired the upper hand here."

"What is it you want?" Sasuke demanded softly, though he made to move to defend himself or acknowledge his attacker.

"I intend to take you back to Konoha," the Root nin said, and this time there was a hard note in his voice. "Although…I did originally come here to kill you," he said simply. "I want to see if I can protect the bonds between you and him, that seem so different than what I have ever known."

For a moment, there was no reaction from the other boy. "Bonds?" his voice came at a whisper. "You woke me up, to talk about bonds?"

With a movement as fast as lightning, the raven was up and making hand seals, and before Sai could retaliate the entire room exploded, and a gaping hole that reached up into the sky penetrated the underground layer.

The intricate tunnels were now in ruin, and slowly, dark hair and pasty white skin was pulled from the wreckage. "You live up to your reputation, to be able to overpower my jutsu is quite something," Sai said calmly up to the silhouette that stood high above him, obscured by the sun shining down on him.

Suddenly there came the sound of footsteps, from a tunnel that had escaped the explosion. Sakura burst into the opening, her furious glare locked on Sai.

"You!" she rushed him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "What the hell are you after? How many times do you plan to stab us in the back before you're ha-"

"Sakura?" a familiar voice caused her to freeze mid-sentence.

Her head snapped up to the source of the voice, and with slightly trembling hands she released Sai. "Sasuke-kun…"

Then there were more footsteps, pounding down harshly on the stone, and suddenly, the sunlight didn't seem as bright to the youngest Uchiha, as it's brilliance was eclipsed by golden locks of hair. Baby blue eyes that shone with a familiar fierceness of emotion blinked away the sudden harshness of light after the dark caves, but soon found the obsidian orbs that gazed steadily upon him. "Sasuke," the blond boy whispered aloud, and the raven felt a shiver through his body.

Naruto, it seemed, had grown quite well.

'_**He's here…'**_ a part of his mind seemed to whisper in his head._** 'My little Naru-chan, all grown up!'**_

"Oh, Naruto as well then?" Sasuke said uncaringly, ignoring his inner voice, but his eyes betrayed his intense interest in him, never once breaking away from the blond. "Does that mean Kakashi has come as well?"

"Unfortunately Kakashi-san couldn't be here, but I'm here in his place," said another voice from the side. Yamato stepped forward into the light, the sun glinting off the metal of his face protector. "We, team Kakashi are going to be taking you back to Konoha."

"Team Kakashi?" Sasuke quirked an elegant eyebrow down at them. "Sounds kind of vain to me," he sneered, keeping his eyes locked on Naruto's.

With a sharp movement, Sai unsheathed his katana from his side as he stared emotionlessly up into the fellow raven's face, drawing the eyes of his temporary teammates. "Sai! I knew it!" Sakura rounded on him angrily, the betrayal written clearly in her face.

"He's my replacement then, is he?" Sasuke interrupted before the pink haired kunoichi could take action. His gaze flickered momentarily to the pale ninja before instantly going back to the blonde, something that didn't go unnoticed by Sakura. "He was spouting some kind of nonsense about protecting the bonds between the dobe and me. As if he could even understand the ties that _he_ wished to limit me with," he said with contempt, leaning so much anger into his voice that there was no doubt who _'he_' was.

"It is true, my real mission was indeed the assassination of Sasuke," Sai said quietly to Sakura, "but those orders don't matter anymore. Now I want to think and act for myself. Because of Naruto-kun, I feel like I might be able to remember something, remember how I used to feel. Something that I can't help but feel was very important to me.

"I may not know you all that well," Sai paused, looking up again to the youngest Uchiha. "But there's something very strong between him and you, I can sense it now. There's a reason why Naruto-kun and Sakura-san chase after you with so much passion, and in order to prevent their bonds with you from breaking, in order to keep them intact, they're doing everything they can. I still don't have a very good understand of it myself, but you, Sasuke-kun, you should know why."

"Sure I know, I know all too well," Sasuke said easily, but still his eyes didn't leave Naruto. "That's why I left. Having too many bonds causes one to lose focus, weakening their strongest wish, their greatest ambition. They distract you with trivial emotions and desire. Its what _he_ wanted, so that's why I severed them. I have other bonds I carry, fraternal bonds forged through hate. Those are the bonds I must focus on, and I will not allow myself to be led differently," his eyes narrowed slightly. "Not even by you, Naruto."

'_**Though he certainly could slow you down a bit…'**_ his inner voice whispered sneeringly at him, but he ignored the fact without betraying anything.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she took in the look upon Sasuke's face. There…in his eyes. It was the same look that had always been there when Sasuke looked at Naruto, back when they had been a team. The same look that had seemed so confusing, and yet so powerful to her; except that now there was one small difference. Now, the look was much stronger in Sasuke's deep orbs of black. _'Do you…do you love Naruto?' _the memory played back in her mind. Sakura breathed in sharply, and her eyes flickered back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke, the heat from their locked eyes almost tangible in the air.

"If that's true…" Naruto's voice trembled with the strength of his anger. "If that's true, then why…why didn't you kill me back then? Is that what you call severing bonds? Sasuke?" he yelled, his pain from the raven's abandonment showing plainly on his face.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered with a pained sort of awe, and it was in that moment that she realized just how much Naruto, with his optimistic nature and bright smile, had suffered after the defection of their brooding teammate.

'_**Look how he suffers!' **_the primal part of his mind practically wailed, in Uchiha standards anyway._** 'Its time to put this lovers spat aside and make UP so that you can make OUT!'**_

"The reason is simple," Sasuke answered him unflinchingly, once again burying the rather pleasant thought deep in his head. "I didn't want to give him the pleasure of controlling my decisions. I make my own choices, and I refuse to give in to his plans."

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto demanded.

"Why should I explain it to you?" he grimaced. "It won't affect me anymore. I have grown stronger than this forced desire, and I won't allow it to keep me from the path I wish to take."

'_**Look how much he needs you…'**_ the voice whispered evilly in his head. _**'What could it hurt? Go down to him!' **_and with a mental sigh, Sasuke complied.

Suddenly, with no prior indication of movement, Sasuke had leapt down, landing directly in front of Naruto. His cool hand was placed firmly on the blond's shoulder, and his grip became possessive as Sakura, Yamato, and Sai watched in sudden surprise.

"It is still there, of course," Sasuke's sultry words floated past his lips quietly, directly into the jinchuuriki's ear as the cool lips nearly brushed the tan lobe. "I feel it now. My replacement is very astute in his assessment. There are very strong ties between us, Naruto. They were made through a simple blunder, and yet they're strong enough to rival my bonds of hatred. I know how they affect me, and these past years, I have learned to overcome them. Still…I've wondered how they have affected you?"

Naruto didn't move. Despite how close the Uchiha was holding him to his person, he made no movement to strike or distance himself from his childhood friend.

"Have you felt their pull as well?" Sasuke smirked into his ear. "Even when we were children, you always said it was your dream to be Hokage, didn't you? So then why did you spend all this time chasing after me? Surly you should have moved on to your true goal? I wonder if you would even try to stop me if I tried to take away your dream? Not very befitting of the Hokage, don't you think, Naruto?"

"Like there's any chance someone who can't save a friend could become Hokage," Naruto bit out, his body rigid from anger. "Don't you think, Sasuke?"

'_**Come on…' **_Sasuke's inner voice egged him on._** 'Now stick him with your sword!'**_

With a sweep of his arm, Sasuke smoothly drew the black sword from it's sheath, and placed it at the orange clad back.

'_**Not THAT sword! You idiot!' **_it hissed exasperatedly_** 'I meant your penis!'**_

"Tch…pathetic," Sasuke murmured, half at the primal part of his mind, and half at the blond boy who made no movement to defend himself. "Why don't you fight back, Naruto? Are you really going to let me kill you without even putting up a fight?"

"I don't have to fight back," Naruto answered, still unmoving against the raven's hold. "You won't kill me."

"You sound so sure of that," Sasuke said snidely. He pressed the tip of the blade against his back, carefully placing it near the heart. "Though…you are right," he whispered the words for Naruto only to hear.

Naruto's hand clenched visibly at his side, and he continued to stare ahead over the raven's shoulder. "Come home, Sasuke," he said softly, but there was no mistaking the demand in his tone.

"Tell me…why do want me to go with you so badly, Naruto?" Sasuke said almost silently. "Why is it so important for me to return to Konoha? What do I gain? What do _you_ gain?"

Finally Naruto turned his head to look at Sasuke, an incredulous look on his face. "What do you mean, 'what do you gain'?" he said loudly. "Konoha is your home! The people there care about you! Me…Sakura-chan…Kakashi-sensei…we're all your friends!"

"Friends?" Sasuke scoffed. "What use have I for friends? I exist only to avenge my clan. My purpose is to end that _man's _life in place of the many he slaughtered. _Friendly bonds_ have no value to me."

"Of course they do, teme!" Naruto said angrily, the old nickname slipping easily from his tongue as if this was simply another one of their many childish arguments from the early days. "You're friends are your support! They lift you up so you can reach your goals, no matter what they are!"

"And what if my goal goes beyond simple _friendship_, dobe?" Sasuke's dark orbs stared intently into his eyes. "What then?"

Naruto's eyebrows twitched together in confusion, and he opened his mouth to speak when there was a sudden sound from up above.

"My, my, Sasuke-kun, have you found a play thing?" came the hissing voice of Orochimaru, cause all of ninja in the pit to look up at the snake-like man.

"Orochimaru…" Sasuke muttered softly, the intensity of his eyes fading into blankness instantly.

"Now that our little Konoha friends have discovered our hiding place, perhaps its time to relocate," Kabuto sighed, almost sounding bored.

"Indeed," the rattling voice agreed. "Come then, Sasuke-kun. You'll have to play with your little jinchuuriki another day."

"I won't allow that!" Yamato said suddenly, stepping forwards as he glared up at the two. "Naruto, Sakura, Sai, we're taking Sasuke back to Konoha! Now!"

The three moved into action. Naruto twisted, attempting to grab Sasuke around the waste, but the raven sent his palm firmly into his chest, shoving him away as he leapt backwards out of the blond's reach. No sooner had he gotten firm footing, than the dark haired replacement launched at him. The Uchiha had no time to counter as Sai attempted to render his target immobile, aiming for the pressure point at the base of his neck. Sasuke dodged the quick attacks, glaring in annoyance at the pale painter.

Finally gathering an opening, he sent a wave of lightning charged chakra through his sword, and brought the crackling blade around, forcing Sai to retreat. Suddenly, there was a flash of pink, and the ground began to tremble as Sakura sent a chakra filled fist pounding into the ground. A shock wave came sweeping towards him, breaking up the ground as it went, and Sasuke was forced to leap into the air again, summersaulting to safer ground. The move was anticipated however, as a multitude of orange clones assaulted him from each direction.

Sasuke smirked slightly at the thought of his own personal _Naruto harem_, before making quick work of the shorter boy's jutsu with a shock of lighting from his blade. The clones all puffed from existence, leaving behind white smoke in their place. Thick beams of wood came shooting out from the cover of the smoke, and he nearly didn't react in time. Bringing his hand to his face in a familiar hand sign, a great breath of fire shot out of his mouth, not stopping the wood completely, but charring it enough to slow it down.

Suddenly a snake as thick as a tree shot down towards the mokuton user, and Yamato was forced to stop the jutsu to protect himself from the fangs that were coming dangerously close to sinking into his neck. Using the moment of inaction as the Konoha shinobi were distracted with Orochimaru's snake, Sasuke pushed chakra into his feet, and he leapt up to the ledge where Orochimaru and Kabuto were waiting on him.

"There was no reason for you to interfere," Sasuke glared coldly at the snake sannin.

"Now, now, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru sneered, taking the youngest Uchiha's anger with no concern. "I was simply ensuring that you wouldn't be swayed by your blond little fox."

"My decisions are my own," Sasuke answered flatly, and the humor fell from the older man's face as a tongue flicked testily from between his teeth.

"Perhaps," the snake sannin said in a more serious tone. "You would do well to not overestimate your own strength, Uchiha," he said darkly. But Sasuke just continued to stare impassively at his teacher.

Down below, the snake had been dispelled, and the Konoha nin returned their attention to the rogue gennin. "Maa, its time for us to take our leave," Kabuto said loudly, a very smug grin on his face. "Be sure to kill more members of Akatsuki, for us, Konohoa shinobi."

"SASUKE!" yelled Naruto's voice, and the raven couldn't stop himself from looking back into those desperate blue eyes. His face softened involuntarily as the blond boy held his gaze, and Sasuke never broke the connection until Orochimaru teleported away, bringing Kabuto and his future vessel with him.

Naruto's eyes grew wide when all traces of the Uchiha vanished, and he stared hopelessly at the point. The strength in his legs gave out, and his knees hit the broken stone floor. "He left…" his voice came out softly. "He goddamn left _again_!" A burning pressure was building up behind his eyes, and soon a few frustrated tears slipped down his face. "KUSO!" he screamed suddenly, slamming his fist down into the stone as his body shook with rage and sadness.

Off to the side stood Sakura, one arm wrapped around her as she looked down confusedly at the ground. Her mind was racing with everything she had just seen and heard. Sasuke's intense gaze on Naruto…the odd way he spoke…and when he'd come down in front of Naruto! It was like a flash back to the early days of team seven, when Sakura's nights were plagued with the oddities of her crush's actions. The emotional reactions that only Naruto ever seemed to draw from him, the tension every time the two argued, the long looks and quick glances the young Uchiha had always pinned Naruto with when he thought no one was looking. It was all so…odd, to her.

They were never really friends back in the academy…and that held true for the first few weeks of their time as a team. But even when the two boys had started warming up to each other, their bond never seemed to quite fit the label of _friends_.

'_And what if my goal goes beyond simple __**friendship**__, dobe?' _Sasuke's heavy words replayed in her mind.

A slight blush overtook Sakura's cheeks as she was reminded of the night Sasuke had left the village. At that point, she had been so determined…so _desperate_ to keep the object of her affections in the village, that she had accused the raven of…being _in love_…with _Naruto_.

'_But I wonder…is it that you love him?'_

Sakura's eyes were drawn to her blond haired teammate, and she felt a pang of sadness hit her heart when she saw the tears from his eyes.

'_Do you…do you love Naruto?_

Sakura could not remember much of what happened that night after she had said those words. She remembered a sad, bitter smile, whispered words that had no shape, and then nothing.

But somehow…Sakura no longer needed to hear the words to realize the truth.

"Don't cry, N-Naruto," Sakura said, her voice wavering as she fought the tears threatening to overwhelm her. "Because…crying won't really solve anything. I'll…I'll help you, you know. We'll bring back Sasuke-kun together…and then…" the words caught in her throat as she imagined what life would be like, all of team seven, Sakura and her boys, living together in Konoha once again.

A sensei who was always hours late, with the most lame excuses. Naruto showing up, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed, and smelling of the instant ramen he'd eaten for breakfast. Sasuke leaning against the bridge with a cool air of nonchalance…his eyes only lighting up with the first signs of banter from Naruto. They'd probably argue, over something stupid, and Sasuke would probably win, like he normally did. Naruto would pout…and Sasuke…he would get that look in his eyes again…

"Things will be as they should," she finished aloud, meeting Naruto's watery eyes with a genuine smile…even though it was tainted with sadness.

Naruto's attention latched onto the sadness in his pink haired teammate, and his fierce promise replayed in his mind. Unable to look at the pain through her smile any longer, Naruto looked down at the ground again. "I just want my brother back," he murmured softly.

* * *

><p>The walk back to Konoha wasn't victorious, but rather gloomy for the most part. The failure of the mission lay over their heads, but even that didn't quell the small joy of gaining a new friend, and of the renewed determination of a certain unpredictable gennin.<p>

After a few hours of getting to know the new additions to team Kakashi better, the group had quieted down as the sun grew closer to setting. Naruto lead the group walking briskly in order to reach Konoha faster, followed closely behind by Yamato. Sai trailed after them at a bit more of a distance, and a thoughtful Sakura brought up the rear.

"Ano…Sai…" Sakura's voice carried softly up to the pale painter.

"Yes, Sakura-san?" Sai answered the girl, turning to look at her with his odd smile.

With a glance up at Naruto, Sakura's steps became deliberately slower, placing a greater distance between her and the front of the group, and forcing Sai to slow down with her. "Back at Orochimaru's hideout…" the pink haired girl said in a hushed tone, her hands wringing slightly. "You said…something about the…_bond_…between Sasuke-kun and Naruto." Sai quirked a curious eyebrow at her, but said nothing as the girl seemed to gather the words in her head. "What did you mean?"

Sai contemplated the girl before him for a moment before he gave an answer. "The ties between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are special bonds indeed," Sai said with little emotion. "I first noticed it when I heard Naruto-kun speaking about Sasuke-kun. When I saw the two together, it only confirmed their bond to me."

"And…what did you see about their bond?" Sakura whispered urgently, here eyes burning with her question.

"I am…unsure of what you mean…Sakura-san," Sai said slowly.

The pink haired girl frowned a bit as she remembered Sai's…unique take on emotions. "Well…what _kind_ of bond was it?" she asked tentatively.

"I assumed they were lovers," Sai said easily, his face never once changing.

Sakura nearly choked at the boy's bluntness. "W-well…that's not…entirely right," she mumbled, still a bit embarrassed by the thought. Sai's eyebrows drew together slightly in a look of confusion.

"No?" he said curiously. "I suppose Naruto-kun did call Sasuke-kun his brother, and brothers certainly aren't lovers," he wondered aloud as Sakura watched him from the corner of her eye. "Then again," he muttered softly, and Sakura's turned to him with more intensity. "Sasuke-kun seemed very interested in Naruto-kun…there was definitely a different sort of bond there than brothers."

Sai fell silent, and his eyes remained down on the road in front of them. Sakura wondered if Sai was thinking about the boy from his book that they had found. "It's almost as if Sasuke-kun…loves Naruto," Sakura forced herself to say aloud.

"Love…" the word sounded odd coming from the ROOT member's tongue. "I've read about it. I think…yes. What I saw was definitely love."

The pink haired iryou-nin released a deep breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding, as if hearing the suspicion aloud from someone else confirmed it.

"But if Sasuke-kun loves Naruto-kun, then why did he leave the village?" Sai asked the pink haired girl, looking up at her again with his dark eyes. "I thought that people in love stayed together."

"I…I don't really know," Sakura admitted sadly. "But…" she paused, her sea green eyes starting to light up with a determined fire. "I think…I may know how to bring Sasuke-kun back…for good."

Sai gave her a quizzical look, but Sakura had no time to elaborate as a loud voice reached them from up ahead.

"Oi! What's keeping you two!" Naruto shouted loudly, his hands placed childishly on his hips as he stood, waiting on them to catch up. "It'll take us forever to get back if you keep lagging behind!"

"Don't rush me, Naruto-baka!" Sakura yelled back, though there wasn't any real heat in her voice. "Not all of us have excessive energy ya know!" Naruto just stuck out his tongue playfully before back around. "Sai," Sakura whispered, once again catching the painter's attention. "Don't mention anything to Naruto…just in case. I don't want to get his hopes up if my plan doesn't work."

* * *

><p>The Godaime Hokage looked at her youngest apprentice with complete shock. Though completely determined look on the young girl's face certainly wasn't helping. "You've got to be joking," she said harshly. "There is no way on earth that you could <em>possibly<em> be serious."

"But I am, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said fiercely, and the pale ROOT member standing behind her nodded his head in agreement.

"You want," the sannin said, slowly, as if speaking to a mental patient, "To _bait_ Uchiha…Uchiha _Sasuke_, to come back to the village…with _Naruto?_"

"I don't want to use Naruto as bait," Sakura corrected with a frown.

"And we are talking about the same Naruto, aren't we?" Tsunade continued as if she hadn't heard her. "_Uzumaki Naruto_, the ramen-loving, loud-mouth, brat on your team?"

"Yes," Sakura said rolling her eyes slightly. "I know that Sasuke-kun is in love with Naruto, and if you just give me a small team so that I can find him again, I can convince him to come home with that."

Tsunade stared hard into the light green eyes that never broke contact with her own. "My god…you honestly believe it, don't you?" she muttered in disbelief. "How in the world did you come to _that_ conclusion?"

Sakura didn't answer right away, and she seemed to be thinking of the exact time she'd reached her bizarre conclusion. "Back when we were on the same team together," the pink haired girl began slowly, "they argued…_all the time._"

"Naruto argues with _everyone_," the woman countered easily. But Sakura shook her head.

"No, it was different," she insisted. "Whenever they fought…there was always so much…_tension_. It was like they couldn't stay out of each other's personal space. Even when things were calm, Sasuke would always do or say something that he _knew_ would rile Naruto up, almost like he was eager to get in a close fight with him." Tsunade opened her mouth to protest again, but Sakura cut her off. "And then there was the way he always looked at him!" she said loudly. "Sasuke-kun…he always had a certain look in his eyes, whether they were getting along or fighting. It was like…like he wasn't happy unless Naruto was right there with him. And when Naruto ignored him or refused to talk to him…his eyes would get so lonely…like his whole world was crashing down."

Sakura's voice trailed off into nothing, and her eyes fell down to the floor in front of her as she recalled the way Sasuke seemed to depend on Naruto. "Tsunade-sama, please let me do this," her voice was soft, but determined. "Let me do this for my team."

"Let's say…that I did let you go out to find him," Tsunade sighed irritably. "What's your plan if he truly doesn't love Naruto at all?"

"Hokage-sama," Sai spoke up from behind Sakura. "If negotiation does not work, the worst thing that could happen would be Uchiha's departure once again," he said in his unvaried tone. "But I can assure you that Sakura-san's evaluation of the relationship between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun is indeed correct. I saw it with my own eyes."

Tsunade looked back and forth between the two determined shinobi, and felt an oncoming headache. The bottle of sake that was hastily hidden under her desk called loudly to her. There was a moment of silence, before she finally gave way. "Fine," she said shortly. "You can go try and reason with the Uchiha brat. I'll get a team together for your use." She stood up from her desk and pointed a painted finger at the door. "Now get out, and leave what's left of my sane mind with me."

* * *

><p><em><strong>WHOA HEY LOOK WHO'S BACK.<strong>_

_**ok, I'm really sorry. I know I haven't updated like any of my stories, but that's because I've been very sick.**_

_**Like, in the hospital, asleep for twenty hours of the day, wtf is going on with this chick is she going to die, sick. So writing fanfiction hasn't been high on my priority list.**_

_**I still don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm attempting to get my life somewhat normalized for the time being since it looks like I'll be here for a little while. Bear with me please! especially if you follow any of my other stories. I'm working on them, I really am!**_

_**Hope you liked this chapter! NEXT TIME YOU GET WHAT YOU CLICKED ON THIS FOR  
><strong>_

_**PERVY**_

_**POSSESIVE**_

_**SASUKE!**_

_**oh and wtf Naruto too XD I know I've said I would be showing it soon for a while now, but THIS TIME ITS THE REAL DEAL. NOTHING ELSE NEEDS TO HAPPEN NOW, SO YOU FINALY GET THE GOOD STUFF!**_

_**Reviews help me health, and help me write faster! thank you everyone who took the time to review other chapters! I read them all and they gave me strength when I was weak! **_

_**anyway**_

_**much love, hopefully see you soon (if i don't die :p jk jk)**_

_**~Ducky**_


	7. I like Doing Manly Things

_**I don't own Naruto, kay? ^-^**_

* * *

><p>"<em>FlashbacksMemories"_

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'_**Inner Sasuke'**_

'_**Curse Mark Sasuke'**_

* * *

><p>It Was Only A Kiss!<p>

Chapter Six

I Like Doing Manly Things

* * *

><p>With a heavy <em>thump<em>, the last man hit the ground, severely injured and blood pouring from the wounds covering his body, but only unconscious. With an almost irritated sigh, a young man standing alone among the hundred passed out shinobi turned his gaze up towards his mentor, the red eyes fading to a cool black.

Orochimaru stared back at his future vessel and scowled slightly at the boy. "You didn't kill them," he stated, obviously discontented.

"Why waste the effort?" Sasuke answered the snake sannin emotionlessly, though his displeasure could be seen in his dark eyes.

"By leaving the enemy alive, you are creating an unnecessary weakness," the pale skinned man hissed down at the boy. "The influence of your old village still shows in you. You can never hope to be truly strong until you forsake those fool ideals, otherwise you will never reach your brother's level."

For his credit, Sasuke's face remained impassive at the belittlement, but Orochimaru sensed the flare of anger in the boy's aura. The youngest Uchiha said nothing however, only continuing to stare blankly back at him.

Orochimaru felt a brief shot of annoyance at the boy's arrogance and defiance of him that seemed to grow with each passing day. He was quickly losing control over his new body. "Retire," he ordered after a moments of silence. "I have nothing left to teach you today."

Sasuke turned on his heel and left without hesitation. Orochimaru watched him go with unease. He wondered how much longer he would be able to keep the Uchiha brat under his control. This body was becoming weak fast, and he knew that the boy could sense his deterioration as well. Perhaps it was time for Sasuke to fulfill his true purpose.

"Kabuto," he called when the boy was out of sight, and the white haired apprentice appeared from the shadows.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Prepare the body transfer ritual," he commanded, his eyes still staring at the place Sasuke had vanished. "I think Sasuke-kun has reached his potential use, as he is."

Kabuto smirked, pushing up the bridge of his glasses on his nose. "Right away, sir," he said with an almost sick glee, and left his master to gather what was needed.

Unknown to the two sound nin, Uchiha Sasuke had also come to the conclusion that his apprenticeship to Sound was no longer beneficial to him, and was making his own plans accordingly.

* * *

><p>The news came as a shock to Tsunade. She could hardly believe that after everything that had happened, all the grief that he had caused, Orochimaru was finally <em>dead.<em> And killed by another perceived traitor of Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke no less!

Rumors of the Uchiha's betrayal had traveled quickly, only a day after the leader of sound's death. Now there were reports of random sightings of the boy, traveling by himself, not very far from Konoha's borders.

It seemed that the time to test her student's crackpot theory had come.

Sakura and Sai now stood in her office, a complete look of shock on the pink haired girl's face.

"_What_?" she said incredulously. "Sasuke-kun…killed Orochimaru?"

"It seems so," Tsunade said, seriously. "Of course, whether this means that he has returned his loyalties to Konoha or not…we have no clue."

"So are you finally sending our team out?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Yes. Reports have said that he is traveling along the north-western borders between Konoha and Sound, and since he's traveling out in the open, he should be much easier to find," she paused looking intently at Sakura. "Are you sure about doing this Sakura? You have to admit, what you're offering isn't exactly an offer at all."

"I've been thinking about that myself, Hokage-sama," Sai spoke up in his usual monotonous voice. "Sasuke-kun seems to be driven by his goals, the obvious of which being his revenge against his brother. If you would allow us to guarantee him the opportunity to kill Uchiha Itachi by returning to the village, then he would have no reason to deny the offer."

"That's right!" Sakura agreed excitedly. "And besides, Sasuke-kun said it himself, he _knows_ that he's still in love with Naruto! If we can make it possible for him to avenge his family, _and_ be able to be with Naruto, then there would be nothing to stop him from coming home!"

Tsunade thought over the young ninja's words. "You realize that Sasuke can't just come back to the village without some sort of repercussions," she said harshly, making Sakura wince slightly under her stern look. "My main concern was keeping the sharingan out of Orochimaru's possession, and now that he's dead, it isn't as important to the safety of the village whether he returns or not."

Sakura seemed to deflate a little bit, and she opened her mouth to argue, but Tsunade help up her hand to silence her. "However," she continued. "The council is still very interested in having the sharingan back in Konoha's possession. I think…I think that it isn't too much to ask that Sasuke be allowed every opportunity to kill Itachi, seeing how he is a major threat to the village as well."

The pink haired girl's grin was back full force, and turned to Sai who even looked a little pleased as well.

"When can we leave, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura said, already tightening the black fingerless gloves on her hands in anticipation.

"I'll have a small team of trackers waiting on you by the front gates in an hour," the Hokage said, sitting back in the chair behind her desk. "And remember, if he doesn't agree…well, just don't expect too much. He is an Uchiha after all."

"Do you think we should tell Naruto-kun?" asked Sai curiously, tilting his head to the side.

Sakura frowned, she honestly hadn't thought about telling her blond teammate. However Tsunade answered before Sakura could say anything. "No," she said, much to both teenagers' surprise. "Naruto is in the middle of creating his own jutsu with Kakashi and Yamato. It's important for him to finish this training so that he is more prepared in case Akatsuki decide to target him again. If we tell him about this mission, he'll demand to go, and won't get anything else on his training done. He'll know if and when you can convince Sasuke to come back."

Both Sai and Sakura nodded in agreement. "No go and get ready," Tsunade ordered them. "And be sure that Uchiha knows that this isn't a free pass! He _will_ have to pay for abandoning the village and aiding an enemy of Konoha. The last thing I want is for him to get here, just to turn around and try to leave again."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" Sakura said, already pulling Sai along with her out of the office.

* * *

><p>As he walked along the flat land, Sasuke felt the approach of the group of Konoha nin. He could tell they were Konoha because he recognized two of the chakra signatures. Sakura…and that dark haired <em>replacement<em>…whatever the freak's name had been.

The group was a few men larger than the last _search-and-rescue_ party that had been sent to him at Orochimaru's (he shivered slightly as memories of a gorgeous looking blond flashed quickly in his head), and he wondered if he shouldn't try to avoid them. Especially sense they lacked the only person from Konoha he really _wanted_ to see.

He didn't have very long to ponder this, however, as the group was traveling very fast, and he estimated about five minutes before they caught up to him if he kept at his slowly wandering pace.

With a sigh of annoyance, he forced his muscles to keep moving agonizingly slow. He knew he'd have to confront Konoha ninja sooner or later. Might as well be now, so he could be spared of the trouble later.

True to his assessment, a team of ninja soon appeared behind him, Sakura, the dark haired boy, a few people who obviously belonged to the Inuzuka clan if the dogs by their sides were any indication, though he didn't recognize any of them, and even someone who had the trademark eyes of the Hyuuga clan.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's voice called loudly to him. He didn't miss the sudden absence of the usual suffix the pink haired girl usually added to his name.

Stopping his slow walk, Sasuke calmly turned around to face the team, noting their non-offensive stances. Interesting.

"What do you want from me?" he said coolly, making no movement to strike up a battle stance. If they didn't want a fight, he wouldn't start one.

"Well, what do you think?" Sakura said mostly to herself, rolling her eyes slightly at the Uchiha's ever-superior attitude. "We want to convince you to come back to Konoha," she said, her eyes blazing with confidence. "We want to make you a deal."

Sasuke raised a single dark eyebrow. Well _that_ certainly was unexpected. "A deal?" he repeated slowly, as if making sure he'd heard her correctly. "What kind of a deal?"

Sakura looked back at the painter, looking for conformation, and he gave her a firm nod. Turning back to her old teammate, Sakura pinned him with her eyes. "In exchange for returning to Konohagakure, and reestablishing your loyalty to the Hokage, the Godaime is willing to offer you be restored in your rank as a ninja, and the leadership of a team for the elimination of Uchiha Itachi," she said, as if reading straight from an official document.

"That…is your deal?" Sasuke said with genuine surprise, though it only sounded mild to the Konoha nin. It was a shock that the sannin woman even offered that much to him…he'd certainly never been expecting to be welcomed back to Konoha, under _any _circumstances.

"Well…not all of it," Sakura admitted, the strength of her voice waning somewhat. "The Hokage will probably place you on probation for a bit, since you aided an enemy of the village. But since you also killed him, it won't even last for very long."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the girl. This all sounded very suspicious…why would Konoha make such an offer just to get him to return to the village? "I can lead a team to kill my brother without returning to Konoha," he said without blinking as he stared back at Sakura, "or I can do it myself, on my own terms, and without having to report to a higher power. That's what I'm doing now."

The faces of the team she was leading seemed to fall into a grimace at his words, obviously displeased at this first failure of the negotiations. Only two didn't falter. Sai's face remained impassive as his dark eyes stared fixedly on him, and as if the encounter couldn't get any stranger for the avenger, Sakura's face actually broke out into a knowing grin.

"True…" Sakura agreed, and her eyes glinted dangerously. "You don't _have_ to return to Konoha to avenge your clan. But then again…" she trailed off in a mockingly thoughtful voice as her head tilted slightly to the side. "_If_ you came back to the village, you could get your revenge…_and_ be together with Naruto."

A look of pure shock went through the faces of Sakura's team, and the four other shinobi looked at her as if she'd gone completely mad. The other young ninja paid them no mind, however, and both Sakura and Sai looked intently at Sasuke's reaction.

The Uchiha didn't even flinch at her words, but an imperceptible shiver shot through his body as the knuckle-headed ninja's name passed Sakura's lips. He stared impassively at the positively malicious grin on her face for a moment, and then a ghost of a smile twitched up the corner of Uchiha Sasuke's mouth. "Ah," he said, sounding as if he'd come to a great realization. "So _that's_ the real bribe."

The Konoha team trackers' jaws nearly dropped to the floor.

"Still, I find it hard to believe that Konoha would welcome me back into the village so easily," Sasuke said as the sort-of smile vanished without a trace. "There has to be some sort of catch. Why would Konoha accept me after I betrayed it?"

Hope fluttered in Sakura's chest. Sasuke wasn't flat out refusing to come back! He didn't looked repulsed or angry at the idea of returning to the village, in fact, his reluctance looked more like caution than anything else. "Because," she said, her tone becoming much mores serious as she matched the Uchiha's analyzing stare with her own. "You're our friend. Me and Naruto, we want you to come back home. I've been training under Tsunade-sama ever since you left, and she cares about Naruto as if he was her own blood. We…we want you back more than anything, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. Was this deal formed because of Naruto? Did he really want him back in the village so bad, the Konoha would make such a ridiculous offer just to bring him back? Sasuke thought back to the day, not all that long ago, when Team Kakashi had come to Sound. Seeing Naruto again after everything that had happened affected him more than he'd ever admit.

After their battle at the Valley of the End, a primary part of his training at Orochimaru's had been to overcome the "curse" placed on him by Itachi. He'd been taught how to burry his deeply seeded desire of Naruto, and wither the growing need before it blossomed uncontrollably. He learned how to separate the part of him that longed to return to his ex-teammate every time a memory of the blond haired boy flashed him his mind, and how to overcome the cumbersome voices in his head, giving him conflicting thoughts all hours of the day and night.

But no matter what theories or methods Orochimaru and Kabuto had tried to find to end Itachi's "curse", _absolutely nothing_ stopped the persistent weed of love for Konoha's most unpredictable ninja. Eventually, Sasuke found that he didn't mind being hopelessly in love with Naruto, and allowed the roots of his feelings to dig deeper and deeper into his heart. As long as he could kill Itachi, what did it matter if he thought about _his_ blue irises every time he saw the same color in the sky? And if his nights were filled with dreams of the orange wearing ninja that ranged in maturity from G to R, what did it really hurt? It was actually rather…pleasant.

Of course along with his acceptance of his weakness for Naruto came the knowledge that he would never be allowed to pursue any of his dreams with him. No…he'd given that up at the age of twelve, when he was so angry and confused, and had nearly killed the last thing he called dear to his heart. He thought he'd never be able to escape the mistakes of that day.

But now…

"Even…Naruto, too?" he asked, not daring to let the hope he suddenly felt show through his voice.

"Why else do you think I worked so hard to get you this deal?" Sakura said, her tone far more serious than Sasuke had ever heard it before. "Ever since you left…all he's done is work to get you back. You're…a lot more important to him than I think you realize," the corner of her mouth turned into a sort of sad smile as she thought about how much the knucklehead had changed.

Despite the impassive face, Sasuke's heart gave a small leap in his chest.

'_**Oh…go back to him! Go back to my lovely Naru-chan!'**_ his inner self willed strongly.

Sasuke let his shoulders and his head drop towards the ground, as if a heavy burden was suddenly lifted from him. A short breath of laughter escaped past his lips, surprising the Konoha team, and when he lifted his head to look at them again, an actual smile, just barely visable, was on his face.

His dark black eyes found Sakura's wide green, and in them was the remorse that he would never speak aloud.

"I accept."

* * *

><p>Naruto fell to the ground, dripping wet and exhausted after the long training. The sound of the massively roaring waterfall pounded loudly in his ears, and he could hardly hear the sound of his harsh breathing over the noise. He turned his head to look at Yamato who was asleep, then back at the water, and a broad smile lit up his face.<p>

He'd _done it_.

Cut a freaking _waterfall_ in _half. _Like a **boss**.

He was one step closer to completing his new training. One step closer to developing his own jutsu. One step closer to finally catching up with…

The happy bubble swelling inside his chest punctured a bit as he thought about his defective teammate. Familiar doubts started to pick at his head as they always did whenever he was reminded of the dark Uchiha recently.

Even after three years of training with Jiraiya - the man who trained the _fourth hokage_ – he still hadn't been strong enough to bring Sasuke home. The fact that he'd already gone toe-to-toe with Orochimaru before meeting Sasuke didn't really register to him. All he could think of was the terrible possibility of _never_ reaching his best friend and brother. What if he couldn't finish his training? What if he never developed a unique technique? And even if he did complete it…what if it still wasn't enough to bring Sasuke home?

Naruto gave a sudden violent shake of his head, trying to dispel the despair starting to drag him down. He knew he shouldn't focus on his failures. He'd never improve if he just accepted the way he was now, and in order to bring Sasuke back, he _had_ to get better…for the sake of team seven…and for Sakura.

The air in his lungs released with a heavy sigh as his eyes closed. Memories of the early days of team seven began to play in his mind's eye, and he remembered how much Sakura really loved Sasuke. Haruno Sakura…she'd done a lot of growing up while on their team, but the one thing that remained true about the pink haired girl was her love for Sasuke. She wanted Sasuke to notice her so badly…she even gave Naruto some of her lunch, just because Sasuke had offered his first!

His heartbeat began to thump heavily inside his chest as he remembered that day, when they still hardly knew one another. That was the first time someone other than Sarutobi-jiji or Iruka-sensei had ever done something for him. When his teammates treated him like an equal, for the first time, Naruto saw a brother in Sasuke, and his crush on Sakura grew even deeper.

But Sakura didn't love him like that…not like she loved Sasuke. Over time, he may have gained a friend in Sakura, but there would never be anything more between them. Naruto knew this...but the problem was, he still couldn't push the feelings he had for her away. That was one of the reasons he was working so hard on his training. Yes, he did care a lot about Sasuke. He was the closest thing to a brother he'd ever had. But it was for Sakura's sake that he wanted to convince Sasuke to come home, not his own. He knew that it would kill him if…no not if, _**when**_ Sasuke returned to Konoha, and began a relationship with Sakura. But…she would be so happy. The sadness in her eyes would go away, and that…

Anything was worth that.

Naruto was so lost in his thoughts of Sakura, that he didn't hear the voice yelling his name from across the training field until movement from a waking Yamato brought him back.

"NARUTO!" yelled Sakura's voice from across the clearing. "HE'S BACK!"

Naruto sat bolt up right, all exhaustion from his training suddenly forgotten. "W-what?" he said, staring at the girl who was running towards him.

"HE'S BACK!" Sakura called again, the biggest smile he'd seen since their team broke apart stretched across her face. "SASUKE'S COME BACK TO THE VILLAGE!"

Naruto wasn't conscious of standing. All he knew was that after hearing those words, he was walking towards Sakura in a sort of disbelieving stupor, leaving behind a drowsy and slightly confused Yamato.

The short pink hair finally reached him, and her entire set of teeth was on display. "Sasuke's here," she said, her breathing heavy, suggesting that she'd been running for a long time.

"A-are you serious?" Naruto stammered, his eyes growing wide.

"Yes!" Sakura squealed happily, pumping her fist into the air in her excitement. "Tsunade-sama made him a deal after he killed Orochimaru, and he's in her office discussing it now!"

"Wha-he killed Orochimaru?" Naruto cried in surprise. "When? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Oh…um, well it wasn't very long ago," Sakura said a little sheepishly. "You were training when Tsunade heard, and didn't tell you because she didn't want to interrupt you before you'd finished.

Naruto's head was spinning at Sakura's words. Sasuke was…_in Konoha?_ Sasuke had really come back?

'_In Baa-chan's office,'_ he thought to himself hazily.

"Well what are we standing here for?" Naruto cried suddenly, returning the smile to Sakura's face instantly.

Without replacing his shirt or waiting for Sakura and Yamato, Naruto took off, running as fast as his body would let him, crossing the back training fields as he ran towards the village, and the Hokage's tower.

Sakura watched Naruto go with a small laugh, and was about to follow him when a sudden thought occurred to her.

She'd never told Naruto the conditions Sasuke had agreed to return on.

Her stomach dropped.

Sasuke had essentially returned…so that he could be together with Naruto. That had been Sakura's plan all along of course, she knew that Sasuke was more likely to agree if he could pursue Naruto, he _did_ love the Uzumaki after all. But Sakura realized for the first time that she'd been so concerned with how _Sasuke_ felt, that she never even considered what _Naruto_ felt.

So…how did Naruto feel about Sasuke?

Naruto cared about Sasuke…that much she knew. But did Naruto have any idea the type of…_feelings _Sasuke had for him? She'd never exactly talked about it with Naruto before…nor had she ever asked him about his type of feelings for Sasuke. It was entirely possible that Naruto had no idea of Sasuke's true intentions upon returning to Konoha. He wasn't exactly the smartest guy…and Sakura had only been convinced of Sasuke's love for Naruto recently. Naruto probably had no clue what he was racing to…_at all_.

"Oh…_hell,_" Sakura cursed, horrified.

"What is it?" Yamato asked her staring after Naruto who was already almost out of sight. "I thought Sasuke-san returning was a good thing?"

"No its not that…its just…" Sakura tried to explain distractedly. "Oh…oh _fuck."_

Sakura took off, forgetting all about the wood user as she chased after her clueless teammate, afraid of the disaster she might have just caused.

Up ahead, Naruto was nearing the village, his mind racing faster than lightning. _'Sasuke came home!' _he thought excitedly._ 'He's back! My best friend…my brother! But…what happened? Last time I saw him…I was so sure that I could convince him back, but he just…left…and now he's come back anyway?'_ He couldn't make sense of it. What could have changed the avenger's mind?

But he was too distracted to dwell on this much longer. Deciding he'd have time to figure it out later, Naruto increased his speed, eagerly rushing to see the now _**ex**_-traitor. He was nearing the village now, only a few more training fields to cross before he reached the edge of the shops that lined Konoha's market. He was just entering the last field before the village, the old training ground 7, when two people stepping into the same field caused him to skid messily to a halt.

Standing there at the other end of the training field, his masked teacher walking slightly behind him, was the raven haired Uchiha.

Sasuke stopped moving at the same time as Naruto. For a moment, everything was still as dark eyes stared fixedly into blue. Naruto found himself incapable of saying anything, still too surprised to see his best friend. Kakashi's presence faded into the background as all of Naruto's focus was directed on Sasuke. His mind was reeling…Sasuke was here, right here! Just a few hundred feet away! He was afraid to speak…afraid to move…afraid to do _anything_ in case the spell was broken, and he woke up to find that this had all been a dream.

Naruto only vaguely noticed when Sakura arrived behind him, followed shortly by Yamato, but he couldn't take his eyes off of his brother.

It was Sasuke who finally broke the silence.

"Naruto," came his voice, just loud enough to be heard. It wasn't malicious like it had been at the Valley of the End, it wasn't laced with apathy like it had been at Orochimaru's. It was just…his name.

"Sasuke," Naruto answered back, in the same, simple tone. He was slightly surprised that his voice hadn't wavered.

Sakura's heart was thumping loudly in her ears, and her eyes flashed nervously back and forth between the two boys. The air was so tense and still, like the calm before the storm, and her panicked mind wondered what was going to happen…what Sasuke was going to do.

"You're…back," Naruto stated the obvious, his eyes never breaking from the Uchiha's heavy stare.

"Yes," Sasuke said, his tone even and smooth.

"You left," Naruto said, his voice now accusing. But his face remained nearly as blank as an Uchiha's.

The intensity in Sasuke's eyes flickered momentarily, but he didn't move when he responded. "Yes," he said quietly.

"You tried to kill me," Naruto's voice was calm, only hinting at the anger and betrayal he felt.

This time Sasuke's eyes actually broke away from Naruto, flickering to the ground before finding the bright blue orbs again. "Yes," he said, refusing to deny it. There was a pause in which Sasuke's mouth remained open, words teetering on the edge of his tongue. "It was…a mistake," he said, finally.

The other people in the clearing were all surprised to hear the Uchiha's admission. It hadn't exactly been an "I'm-sorry-I-screwed-up-big-time," but Naruto understood the regret behind the words, and saw the apology in the Uchiha's eyes.

"But…you're back, now," Naruto said slowly, confirming what he needed to hear, making absolutely sure.

Sasuke didn't speak, his mouth firmly closed, but he nodded his head in answer.

"And…" Naruto swallowed, unable now to keep the hope from showing through his voice. "You're going to stay?"

Sasuke seemed to notice the slight tremor in Naruto's voice, because he lifted his head a little bit more as he answered, "If…you want me."

At first, Naruto didn't react, and his face remained almost blank as he continued to look with his searching eyes at Sasuke. Then suddenly, his face began to light up as the corners of his mouth stretched wide, pulling his entire face into a brilliant smile. "Welcome back, teme," he said easily.

Warmth seemed to flood through the Uchiha at the sight of Naruto's smile. He couldn't deny the relief he felt.

Naruto accepted him back…Naruto…forgave him.

And _by the gods_, did he look like the yummiest thing he'd ever seen.

"Dobe," Sasuke said, slipping in gratefully to the old routine. "Watch who you're calling 'teme'."

"I call it as I see it!" Naruto jeered back, his nose crinkling in an amused sneer. "And _you_ are a _teme_. Don't think you can get away with calling me 'dobe' so easily!"

"Oh really?" Sasuke made sure to give a slightly antagonistic smirk, mostly to hide the fact that he was staring blatantly at the blond's still wet and shirtless chest. "And just how were you planning on stopping me?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously, easily giving in to the Uchiha's taunt, that spark of passion and determination that could give Sasuke's teenage-hormone-driven mind wet dreams igniting with Naruto's temper. "You always have to be such a _bastard!"_ Naruto growled lightly. "Let's spar then! If you think you're all that!"

Sasuke's smirk widened. "Fine," he said coolly, watching with pleasure how one word could agitate Naruto even further. His mind was racing with excitement, _god _how he wanted to start right now, anything to get closer to his gorgeous blond. Thinking quickly, he came up with a way to play this game more into his favor. "Taijutsu only, first one to a pin wins."

"You're on!" Naruto said instantly, his wild grin dominating his face. "On the count of three then! One…two…"

Both boys moved at the same time, flying towards each other at lighting speed, and met in the middle of the training field. Naruto wasted no time in attacking Sasuke, sending a powerful kick straight at the Uchiha's head. Raising an arm, Sasuke blocked the heel, crouching low at the same time to deliver his own sweeping kick to the leg still connected to the ground. Naruto flipped into the air using the momentum from his first attack, twisting so that he landed, slightly crouched, to Sasuke's right. He lunged as soon as he landed, aiming his elbow towards his opponent's stomach, but Sasuke countered by sending a quick palm into Naruto's shoulder to knock the hit off target. Naruto's elbow connected with Sasuke's hip, forcing the raven to take a step backwards, and Sasuke brought his knee swiftly up to catch Naruto's head. Naruto's hands were too fast, however, and he intercepted the attack, using Sasuke's limb to propel himself into a front handspring over the Uchiha's shoulder.

'_Flexible…'_ Sasuke thought to himself as he twisted around to meet Naruto as he landed on his feet. Sasuke's arm went around Naruto's neck, attempting to put him into a strangle hold, but before he was caught all the way, Naruto grabbed the arm and kicked his legs up into the air over both their heads, bringing Sasuke with him and sending the Uchiha into a backwards somersault behind him.

'_**Very flexible…' **_the more perverse part of Sasuke's mind purred happily as he caught himself with his hands, landing gracefully as he skidded to a halt a few feet away from Naruto.

As Sasuke and Naruto got lost in themselves, Yamato and Sakura made their way over to where Kakashi stood. Despite her uncertainty of the situation, Sakura couldn't help the small warmth in her chest at the sight before her. It looked like Team 7 was really back together again.

"Maa, of course they'd fight first thing," came Kakashi's lazy voice as they reached him. "It certainly is a familiar sight."

Sakura gave a small smile, nodding in agreement. "Just like the old days, huh sensei?"

Kakashi gave a small nod, watching the two boys fight with nostalgic interest.

"Hey! I can't believe it, Sai wasn't lying!" and excited voice squealed behind Sakura. Turing around, the members of Team Kakashi saw the arrival of the rookie 9, headed by the pale painter Sai and an excited Ino. "Sasuke-kun's really come back for me!"

"In your dreams, Ino-pig," Sakura snorted, mostly out of habit, but she couldn't hide the excitement in her face. "Sasuke-kun doesn't give you a second thought!"

"You're just jealous your charms are so obviously outmatched by mine, forehead-girl!" Ino quipped back grinning evilly at her friend.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Ino, but I have to agree with Sakura," Shikamaru said, surprising everyone there.

"What the hell are you talking about, Nara?" Ino growled at her lazy teammate.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" When Shikamaru was answered only with the questioning stares of the others, he sighed, rolling his eyes slightly. "The only person in Konoha that Sasuke has ever seemed to care about is _Naruto..._or havn't you noticed?"

Back in the center of the field, Sasuke had activated his sharingan. Naruto, who had always been small and lightweight, now took advantage of his size and was very swift in his attacks, so that Sasuke had to use his bloodline to keep up with the energetic ninja's speed.

The arrival of their new audience hardly even registered to the two boys, who were both fighting their hardest, sweaty and breathing harshly, each determined to win this fight, though both boys had very different motives.

Naruto never seemed to stop moving. Even after Sasuke landed a hit on him, Naruto could turn around instantly and return the blow with one of his own. While it was entertaining, Sasuke was also impatient. His heart's desire was dangling in front of him, and he _desperately_ wanted to feel Naruto.

As Naruto aimed another jab at his chest, Sasuke made a split decision, deciding not to intercept or dodge the blow as he knew Naruto was expecting. When his hand made contact, knocking the limited air out of Sasuke's lungs, Naruto found to his surprise that he now had little room to maneuver himself, as he had been counting on Sasuke to move away for him to have the space he needed for a next attack. But this had been Sasuke's plan, and so he was ready for Naruto's brief moment of hesitancy. Gripping Naruto's hand in his, he used a kick to knock Naruto's unbalanced legs from underneath him, sending him to the ground on his back, and Sasuke used his other hand to pin Naruto's free fist to the ground, kneeling over the blond jinchuuriki.

Both boys hit the ground with an "oof," and Sasuke stayed in his position above Naruto, firmly holding the smaller boy in place.

"Aw, dammit!" Naruto cursed through heavy breaths. "You cheated, teme!"

Sasuke let out a breathy laugh at the typical response from Naruto, but he couldn't find it in himself to respond as he stared down at Naruto's face, that was only inches from the tip of his nose. His knees were on either side of his captive, and he could feel Naruto's bare skin beneath him, his heart beating wildly with excitement.

"Alright…you made your point," Naruto grumbled, completely oblivious to the sudden tension in the air as he struggled feebly in Sasuke's hold. "You won. Now get off me!"

The corner of Sasuke's mouth drew upwards in a defiant smirk. "No," he said flatly.

Naruto's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean, 'no'?" he shouted angrily.

The blond didn't have time to register how close his best friend was, nor the rather suggestive position he now found himself trapped in. He didn't have long enough to realize what was happening as Sasuke's smirk widened, and he could only watch in confusion as the Uchiha tilted his head slightly to the side, and closed the distance between their faces.

But Naruto _did_ realize what was going on when he felt the lips of his rival moving against his own.

Acting out of instinct, Naruto used all of his strength to hurl the raven off him, scrambling to his feet as he wiped vigorously at his violated mouth.

A _kiss!_

Uchiha Sasuke had just _kissed_ him!

_AGAIN!_

"What the HELL was that?" Naruto screamed at Sasuke who was slowly standing as well, his damn smirk still firmly in place.

"That was called a _'kiss_', dobe," Sasuke said as if he were explaining something to a toddler.

"I know what it's called!" Naruto yelled back at him, his face turning red in embarrassment. "I meant why the fuck did you do that!"

"Usually when someone kisses someone, it means that they _like_ them," Sasuke said in the same simpleton tone, his eyes glinting maddeningly with amusement at Naruto, causing the blond's blush to darken even more.

"So why the hell did you _kiss_ _ME_!"

"Because," Sasuke said, giving Naruto an exasperated look. "_I like you, _idiot."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kind of a crappy ending, but I figure this is long overdue. Thanks for being patient guys! I'm in the hospital still, and trying to catch up on schoolwork. I'll try to get the next one out sooner. <strong>_

_**~Ducky**_


	8. All's Fair in Love and Sex

_**I don't own Naruto, kay? ^-^**_

* * *

><p>"<em>FlashbacksMemories"_

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

'_**Inner Sasuke'**_

'_**Cursemark Sasuke**__**'**_

* * *

><p><strong>It Was Only A Kiss!<strong>

**Chapter Seven **

**All Is Fair in Love and Sex**

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><p><em>Last Time<em>

"_Usually when someone kisses someone, it means that they __**like**__them," Sasuke said in the same simpleton tone, his eyes glinting maddeningly with amusement at Naruto, causing the blond's blush to darken even more. _

"_So why the hell did you __**kiss ME**__!"_

"_Because," Sasuke said, giving Naruto an exasperated look. "__**I like you**__, idiot."_

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><p>The apocalypse had started. Volcanoes were erupting. The sky was breaking, falling apart piece by piece, hitting the crumbling earth in fiery meteors. The soil was splitting, ripping the ground in two and opening up the gateways to the molten core of the doomed planet that was slowly turning to ash and dust.<p>

The world was _ending_.

Because there was _no possible way_ that _Sasuke, _the _UCHIHA SASUKE _had just said that he _liked NARUTO._

"_NO WAY!" _Ino's voice penetrated the unnerving silence that had fallen over the crowd. "Sasuke-kun likes _NARUTO_?!"

The jaws of nearly everyone gathered, save Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, and Kakashi, were dropped to the ground.

"…I knew that food last night tasted rotten…" Chouji mumbled in disbelief.

"Oh no…" Sakura groaned as she looked at her two teammates. "This won't end well…"

Naruto was frozen in a state of utter disbelief. He felt like his mind was melting, and the all-too-serious expression and smoldering look in Sasuke's dark eyes _wasn't_ helping.

"…_what_ did you just say?" Naruto managed to choke out.

With a small sigh, Sasuke began to move closer to Naruto, ignoring the way the blond tensed like he was preparing to fight. "I _said_ that I _like_ you," Sasuke repeated slowly, making sure that his words were clear. "I'm _attracted _to you. I think you're hot. I want to date you, and touch you, and kiss you, the whole sh'bang."

Sasuke was now only a half step away from Naruto, who looked like he was trying very hard to not punch the other boy. "Y-you're not funny!" Naruto growled, glaring angrily at Sasuke through the blush on his cheeks.

The intensity of Sasuke's gaze sharpened, and he leaned even closer to Naruto's face. "I'm being completely serious, Naruto."

Naruto's stomach started twisting uncomfortably, and he hastily started to back away from the positively predatory looking Uchiha. "I must have hit you harder than I thought!"

But Naruto hardly managed to take a single step before Sasuke's gloved hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, yanking them back together. Without giving Naruto time to do more than give a small yelp, Sasuke's arms other arm was winding around his waist, and the distance between their faces was swiftly closing.

'_HOLY SHIT HE'S SERIOUS!' _Naruto screamed in his head, his eyes going wide with horror as Sasuke's began to close.

_Poof!_

With a puff of white smoke, there was a body between them and an arm dropped on each of their shoulders, forcibly separating Sasuke from his dobe. "Maa! Just look at both of my cute little gennin!" Kakashi said with his signature eye smile.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke let out a small growl, having no trouble in showing his irritation at the jounin's interruption.

"Ne, why such hostility?" Kakashi said in a tone of mock hurt. "You should have a little more respect for your old teacher."

Naruto was too busy trying to sort through the millions of racing thoughts in his head to pay attention to their conversation, the frantic beating of his heart pounding in his ears at his almost-lip-lock with Sasuke.

_Uchiha Sasuke_…of all fucking people!

"Naruto and I were in the middle of a conversation," Sasuke shot coldly at him with a glare that could bore holes through Konoha's walls.

"Conversation?!" Naruto said indignantly, snapping back to reality. "You were trying to suck my face off!"

"I was hardly going to suck it _off,_" Sasuke scoffed, and suddenly some of this earlier intensity returned to his eyes. "Although, I wouldn't be opposed to trying-"

"SHUT UP, TEME!" Naruto yelled quickly, cutting Sasuke off.

"How I missed your lovers quarrels," Kakashi said cheerily, squeezing both boys with his arms as if to remind them he was there.

Naruto's face turned red again with a fresh wave of mortification, and Sasuke let out a small "tch" of annoyance.

"Kakashi-sensei! This isn't funny! There's something wrong with Sasuke-teme!" Naruto pleaded with his teacher.

"Hm…you may be right, Naruto," Kakashi said, and for a hope-filled moment, Naruto thought Kakashi might help sort out this madness! "Sasuke does seem a tad bit hornier than he used to be...but I think I'll let you handle that!"

Naruto thought he just might be sick.

Flinging the heavy arm from around his shoulder, Naruto scrambled away from Sasuke and Kakashi, just in time to see the approach of the others. With a cry of relief, Naruto dashed towards Sakura, and unashamedly jumped behind her in self preservation.

"A-ano…welcome back, Sasuke-kun…" Ino said awkwardly, eyes flashing obviously between Sasuke, who was distancing himself distastefully from Kakashi, and Naruto, who was using Sakura as a shield.

"So…" Kiba said, his eyes looking almost accusatory. "That Orochimaru-bastard made you gay, or what?" he blurted rudely, earning himself a smack on the head from both Ino and Sakura, and a deadly Uchiha glare.

"Shut up, Kiba!" Ino hissed furiously at him, before turning back to Sasuke, a blush clearly showing on her cheeks. "Sasuke-kun, we were wondering if…if you'd maybe like to go get dinner, all of us?" she said as sweetly as she could, trying to keep the uncertainty out of her voice.

Sasuke's face twitched in a manner that suggested he was holding back a scowl. "No thank you," he said in a tone that was meant to sound polite. "I already had plans to eat with Naruto."

"Since when!" Naruto shouted crossly.

"Of course he'll come!" Sakura said suddenly, putting a halt to another blooming argument. "We're all going to go together!"

"I'm not going anywhere _near_ that bastard until he gets his head fixed!" Naruto argued, something that proved to be a large mistake.

"I said, _we're all going,_" Sakura said venomously, whipping around to stare Naruto down. "And that includes you, _Naruto_!"

Eyes wide, Naruto fought down the urge to gulp. "F-fine! But I'm not sitting near him!"

From the steal look on Sakura's face, Sasuke knew that there was no getting out of this, and with an inner sigh, he resigned himself to an immediate social debut.

This was _so _not how he'd wanted things to go.

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><p><em><strong>this wasn't where I'd originally planned on ending this chapter...but its taking me so long to finish writing the next scene I figured I should give you guys something. I'm sorry for the wait, and thanks to anyone who's still sticking around at this point! Thanks so much for reading!<strong>_

_**Ducky**_


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